Beer Batter Fish Fry w/ Potato Wedges and Tartar Sauce

Step 1

First, prep your fire and heat a cast-iron pot over the grate. It will take a while for the oil to heat up. The oil should be between 350-375F. You can use a spare piece of potato to check if the oil’s ready (if it sizzles right away when inserted into the oil, then you’ve got the right temperature) or use a trusty kitchen thermometer.

Step 2

To make the potato wedges, prepare your potatoes. Soak them in a large bowl of water, drain, then dump them onto a kitchen towel to blot them dry. Then, in a separate bowl, combine the flour, paprika, black pepper, and salt. Add the potatoes and toss thoroughly to coat.

Step 3

The potato wedges should be fried first for about 10 to 11 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels or a good old paper plate. If you like the wedges really crispy, you can then refry them for 1 to 2 minutes when ready to serve.

Step 4

While the potatoes are cooking, whip up your tartar sauce. Combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, chopped pickle, shallot, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside until you’re ready to eat!

Step 5

To make the fish batter, mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Add the oil and beer and stir until well-combined. Next, fold in the finely-crushed white or yellow corn tortilla chips, and let the batter rest for 20 minutes.

Step 6

Make sure the oil is still hot after frying the potatoes. It’s important to maintain a nice solid bed of hot coals that will take you through the cooking process from start to finish, or you can use a portable gas burner.

Step 7

Make sure the fish fillets are well drained and patted dry with paper towels if necessary. Lightly dredge them with the last ¼ cup of flour. Next, grab the end of one filet and dip both sides in the batter until well coated, letting the excess drip back into the bowl.

Step 8

Lower the fillet into the oil carefully, slowly swishing the lower half of the filet once or twice so the oil cooks it partially; then lower the rest in one steady motion. This ensures the batter cooks just enough so that it won't stick to the pot when you drop in the rest of the filet. The key to frying is to not be afraid of the hot oil. Dropping the fish in with a splash is dangerous, so be sure to use a slow and steady hand.

Step 9

Ideally, you want the initial frying temperature to be 375F since the first batch will cool the oil immediately. The temperature will drop to 350F which is okay, but any lower than 350F, and you'll get a soggy piece of fish. Any higher, and your batter may burn. Fry the fish for a total of 4 to 5 minutes on each side, but do turn them frequently. A pretty good proxy is when the batter is golden brown and crisp.

Step 10

Transfer the fried fish to a plate lined with paper towels and serve hot with the potato wedges and tartar sauce on the side. It will be the best camping meal you’ll ever have!