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I am constantly amazed at how animated and talkative people get when you mention food. The mere aroma of certain foods can evoke memories that transport us back to a special place and time. Food can bridge the gap between all ages, races and ethnicities.
Let's face it, the only thing that should ever come between people is a table and some serving bowls.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Batter Up!


I often crave a good fish fry and I especially love mine done in a really good beer batter but I think I have found something that actually works better. While on one of my recipe hunts I came across a batter for fish that uses a can of 7-Up. The more I thought about it I realized this was a great idea even more so than using beer. The carbonation has always been a key component in getting that light puffiness that you look for in a good beer batter but what the beer does not give you is.....sugar and lots of it. That is where the 7-Up fits the bill brilliantly. It has enough carbonation to ensure that it puffs up but it also has a very high sugar content to create a caramelized crispiness that you don't quite achieve using the beer. Plus the lemon lime flavoring actually imparts an interesting flavor dimension to take your normal fish fry to a whole new level.

7-Up Fish Batter

1 egg
1 c. pancake mix
8 oz. 7-Up (approximately)
additional pancake mix
Fish filets of your choosing, also works well with shrimp, scallops or clams.

Mix egg, pancake mix and 7-Up together well. Dip thin fish fillets, which have been coated with pancake batter (shake both in plastic bag) and chilled about 20 minutes in mixture. Remove 1 at a time and deep fry for 4 to 6 minutes at about 400 degrees. Remove onto paper towels to drain.

9 comments:

Katy ~ said...

Good idea. We're not particularly fish people here but I think I would be tempted to try because I can imagine how good the batter would taste. The question of a delicious and beautiful batter crust has held me back. Thanks for this post.

Julie said...

You are welcome, Katy.

~~louise~~ said...

I can definitely see this recipe working as good or better than beer. Way cool, Julie. Thanks for sharing...

Chef JP said...

I agree with your approach here. As a restaurant chef for 20 years, I always used this same sort of batter for deep fried items (usually I would add a dash or two of Frank's Hot sauce!

Julie said...

You can never go wrong with Frank's Hot sauce Chef JP. I love Frank's on just about everything, I especially love a liberal amount soaked into some plain steamed white rice.

Julie said...

You are very welcome, Louise.

San Francisco Catering said...

Very nice recipe. I own a San Francisco catering company and may try this out.

Julie said...

Enjoy the recipe San Francisco Catering.

Unknown said...

Thank you for a tasty recipe!