• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
dirndl kitchen
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
    • Main Courses
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Bread & Rolls
    • Pastries
    • Cakes
    • Sides
    • Drinks
    • Christmas
    • Oktoberfest
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • About
  • Meal Guide
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
      • Main Courses
      • Appetizers
      • Breakfast
      • Bread & Rolls
      • Pastries
      • Cakes
      • Sides
      • Drinks
      • Christmas
      • Oktoberfest
    • Lifestyle
      • Travel
    • About
    • Meal Guide
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Main Courses

    Beer-Battered Cod (Backfisch)

    Published: Jun 16, 2019 · Modified: Feb 22, 2023 by dirndlkitchen · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    This beer-battered cod has it all! Wild-caught cod (in German Kabeljau) dipped in a fluffy Hefeweizen batter, then fried until perfectly crisp. Drizzle with some fresh lemon juice and enjoy with a simple, homemade remoulade sauce and some homemade pretzels.

    A bowl of beer battered cod

    Neither my mom nor grandma were fish fans. I remember my Oma Sieghilde cooking fish for my Opa Elmar every Friday. I absolutely hated the fish smell that seeped through to the outside of their home and greeted me when I walked there after school. Absolutely. Hated. It. My Oma didn't enjoy cooking it for him, which didn't help lift my bad associations.

    During summer vacations to the Mediterranean, where fish is as abundant and as fresh as can be, I NEVER felt the urge to try it. It wasn't until I started working at restaurants when I was 23 years old that I was finally forced to eat some reeeeeally good fish (yes, even in Kansas!). And I liked it!

    Now I eat almost every fish and seafood (although I still can't stand the texture of raw oysters), and I always look forward eating lots of fresh fish during our beach vacations.

    How to make German fried fish

    Today's Backfisch reminds me of a school trip to Hamburg, where you find TONS of fish food trucks selling fried fish (usually on a crusty bun). For the batter I used Hefeweizen from a local brewery. The Hefeweizen really helps the batter out with its naturally occurring citrus and banana notes, making this a perfect combination. The batter also has beaten egg whites in it, totally maximizing the fluff. This is perfect to make when you have family or friends over, as it's simple, impressive and so so tasty! And PLEASE don't be scared of deep-frying foods! It's really simple and all you need is a frying/candy thermometer if you don't have a deep fryer (I don't own one).

    What to serve with fried Cod

    Serve with a homemade herb-remoulade sauce and lemon wedges, and either some baked potato wedges or cucumber salad (although you can never go wrong with some authentic, homemade pretzels (if you haven't tried my recipe, YOU MUST). Now all that's left to do is imagine yourself at Germany's Nordsee, sitting by the shore, and enjoying some Backfisch while sipping on a cool Hefeweizen.

    Ingredients for Backfisch

    Backfisch:

    • 2 lbs wild-caught Cod
    • 1 c (250 ml) Hefeweizen
    • 2 c + 1.5 tablespoon (250 g) flour
    • 4 eggs (whites and yolks separated)
    • ⅓ c (80 g) butter
    • salt & pepper
    • frying oil

    Remoulade:

    • 1 egg yolk
    • salt
    • 10 Tbsp sunflower seed oil
    • ½ tsp mustard
    • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
    • 1 German pickle (Gewürzgurke - find them at World Market by the Hengstenberg brand for example)
    • 1 egg
    • 2 tsp chopped parsley
    • 3 Tbsp finely chopped chives

    HELPFUL TIPS:

    • Deep Frying Foods: Use an oil with a high smoke point for deep frying and a deep fry/candy thermometer to make sure your oil stays at the right temperature to provide you with crisp results.
    • Keep It Warm: I don't deep fry often, and don't own a deep fryer, so I use a smaller pot to avoid having to use as much oil. I then end up working in batches. Simply set you oven to 150 degrees and keep the fish warm until you are finished frying all of the fish. This way everyone can eat together.
    making the batter for beer battered fish
    frying Backfisch

    Backfisch Step By Step Instructions

    1. Combine the flour, salt, beer and egg yolks, then allow to sit for 15 minutes. Melt the butter and add to the batter. Beat the egg whites until stiff, and fold into the batter.
    2. Cut your cod into bite-sized pieces, pat dry with kitchen towel, then season with salt and pepper. Preheat your frying oil to 170 C/340 F to 180 C/355 F. When the oil is ready, dip the cod pieces in the batter, working one at a time, and carefully drop them into the hot oil, working in batches to make sure you never have more pieces in there than what can reach the surface.
    3. Turn occasionally to make sure all sides are fried to a golden color. Bake for a total of about 5 minutes, then remove using a skimmer and transfer to a plate prepped with paper towel. Keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.
    4. To make the remoulade sauce, boil one egg for 10 minutes until hard (put the cold egg into warm water, then bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes). Run cold water over it, then peel immediately. Beat the egg yolk with a whisk, slowly adding in the sunflower seed oil, first a few drops at a time, then in an even stream, until all is added and the mixture is thick.
    5. Add the mustard (German, medium-spicy mustard is best!) and season to taste with lemon juice and pepper. Finely dice the German pickle. Dice the cooled egg, add in the chopped chives and parsley, then season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with the Backfisch. Guten Appetit!

    Make sure to subscribe to my blog now and get weekly emails with more German food inspiration.

    More German Main Courses

    • German pan-fried potatoes in little skillet
      Bratkartoffeln (German Pan-Fried Potatoes)
    • Weisswurst with sweet mustard, pretzel and Weissbier
      Weisswurst Tips & Tricks
    • closeup of German pancakes dusted with powdered sugar and topped with fresh berries
      Traditional German Pancakes (Pfannkuchen)
    • a cast iron dish filled with kaesespaetzle and topped with caramelized onion and chives
      Easy Käsespätzle (German Cheese Spätzle)

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Sophie Sadler dirndl kitchen headshot

    Hallo, I'm Sophie!

    I am so happy that you are here at my German food and recipe blog named dirndl kitchen! Let's cook and bake authentic German recipes to help us feel closer to Germany!

    I moved from Germany to the United States in 2009 and soon started to terribly miss the German food (okay, my family, too)! I still miss a nice weekend brunch with crusty Brötchen (rolls) and Teilchen (pastries), Döner Kebab and German cake and coffee time at 15 o'clock! So I decided to educate my fellow Germany-missing friends by writing about German food and traditions. I do so in a fun way with easy-to-follow recipes! I hope you stay a while and bookmark some recipes, so we can cook and bake together.

    Mit viel Liebe (with much love)

    More about me →

    Trending

    • German pretzels served with Obatzda
      Authentic, Soft German Pretzels (Brezeln)
    • Doner Kebab recipe chicken dirndl kitchen
      Döner Kebab Recipe (Chicken Version)
    • kartoffelsalat mit wurstchen german christmas eve meal dirndl kitchen
      German Potato Salad with Würstchen
    • a Berliner German donut from the inside
      How to make Donuts (German Berliner)
    • pretzel beer bubble bread sitting on a marble platter
      Pretzel Beer Bubble Bread
    • slices of apple cake on platter and plates
      Easy German Apple Cake (Apfelkuchen)
    • Rumtopf recipe German rumpot diary tagebuch4
      Rumtopf Tagebuch: German Rumpot Recipe
    • a large bowl of creamy pasta salad
      Creamy Pasta Salad Recipe (Nudelsalat)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up for new recipes

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 dirndl kitchen