First and foremost, I must declare that this recipe has Rahul’s stamp of approval. He rarely eats fish, even when fried, so you don’t see many fish recipes on SGE. I’m slowly getting him to try it more often, but I was ecstatic to see that he ate the whole fried fish on his plate and really liked it. If you have a fish skeptic in your house, this recipe may convert them, too.

Mahi-mahi is a thick filet, which makes it great for frying because it doesn’t fall apart when you pick it up with your tongs or fingers. I highly suggest it over tilapia, which too often falls apart somewhere along the fried fish process. The flavor is also mellow, another reason why Rahul likes it, as it is no way as strong as salmon.

This was also the first time I have beer battered anything with an IPA. I was a little concerned about the bitter flavor – would it be too hoppy? Nah, not at all.  The IPA was just enough flavor to not overpower the mahi-mahi but compliment it.

Technically I can’t call this fish and chips if I don’t fry the potatoes, right? Gimme a break, I can’t fry everything or I’d have even higher cholesterol than I probably do now. Besides, roasting them in the oven while you fry on the stove means you can accomplish two things at once and eat dinner faster. It can also allow you to give the potatoes whatever flavor you want. I’d rather not eat two fried foods on one plate, so I enjoy switching this recipe up a bit.

Can’t find mahi-mahi? I found frozen filets at Kroger, but you can use any white fish you like, be it tilapia, cod or something else.

IPA Battered Mahi-Mahi with Roasted Potatoes

Serves 4

For the fish:

• 4 Mahi-mahi filets
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups of an IPA style beer (I used Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo)
• Oil for frying

For the potatoes:

• 4 large russet potatoes
• 1 tsp red curry powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Direction

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Prepare the potatoes by slicing them in half and then again lengthwise so you end up with long potato “fingers,” as I like to call them.
3. Mix all of the spices together in a small bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the spices onto the fries along with the olive oil.
4. Mix together with your hands until the potatoes are coated thoroughly and set aside.
5. Using a large dutch oven or a large iron skillet, add about 3 inches of oil into your frying device. For my dutch oven, this was one whole bottle of canola oil.
6. Heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches about 300 degrees.
7. Place the potatoes in the oven to bake for 20 minutes, stirring them halfway through.
8. Make the beer batter by whisking the flour, baking soda and salt together with the beer. It will be fairly thick.
9. Dust the Mahi-mahi with cornstarch on each side. Dip the fish into the beer batter and place in the hot oil, frying each side for 2-3 minutes.
10. Remove and set on a paper towel to drain some of the greases.
11. Serve with the potatoes and slices of lemon and enjoy! I also whipped up a quick Sriracha mayo for dipping, just mix 2 tsp Sriracha with 2 tablespoons of mayo, or something close to that. There’s no science behind good Sriracha mayo.