Adam Liaw’s beer-battered fish with onion and dill

Name: Adam Liaw’s beer-battered fish with onion and dill
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Contemporary
Ingredients: vegetable oil, for deep frying; 1 cup self-raising flour, plus extra for dredging; 1 cup ice-cold beer; ½ tsp salt; 700g flathead fillets; salt and pepper, to season; ½ small red onion, finely diced; 2 thin spring onions, finely sliced; 5 cornichons, sliced; 1 cup loosely packed dill, finely shredded; ½ cup picked parsley sprigs, finely shredded; Japanese mayonnaise, to serve; lemon wedges, to serve

Adam Liaw

March 4, 2025

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:4

This dish of beer-battered flathead can be made in minutes for a perfect weeknight meal.

Ingredients

vegetable oil, for deep frying
1 cup self-raising flour, plus extra for dredging
1 cup ice-cold beer
½ tsp salt
700g flathead fillets
salt and pepper, to season
½ small red onion, finely diced
2 thin spring onions, finely sliced
5 cornichons, sliced
1 cup loosely packed dill, finely shredded
½ cup picked parsley sprigs, finely shredded
Japanese mayonnaise, to serve
lemon wedges, to serve

Method

Step 1
Add the oil to a small saucepan to a depth of 10cm and heat to 170C. For the beer batter, combine the flour, beer and ½ tsp salt and mix very gently until just combined but still with quite a few lumps. Do not over-mix the batter. Dredge the fish in extra flour and dip into the batter, allowing any excess to drip off. Fry in batches for about 4 minutes until golden brown and the fish is just cooked. Set on a wire rack to drain and season with salt.
Step 2
Combine the diced onion, spring onion, cornichons, dill and parsley in a bowl and toss to combine. Pile the fish on a serving plate and scatter the onion and herb mixture on top. Season with salt and pepper and serve with Japanese mayonnaise and lemon wedges.

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