Cameron’s Guide to Cooking with Beer

Seafood and beer go together like peas and carrots! And there is nothing better than cooking seafood with lagers, ales, hefeweizens, sours, IPAs, pilsners and even porters (it’s all good!).  Rich and robust with flavor, the two compliment each other very well.

We’ve mapped out all the beer + seafood culinary combinations and broke them into 4 categories; glazed, battered, simmered and steamed. Each category works wonders with a variety of seafood.

Glazed

Best Seafood: Salmon Fillets, Scallops, Mahi Mahi, Tuna Steaks, Fresh Shrimp, Lobster Tails 

Best Beer: Porter, Stouts, Saison, Fruit Flavored Beers

Glazing seafood is an easy way to impart maximum flavor with ease.

The easiest ratio to remember is to simmer 2 cups of liquid (this can be a combination of liquids, beer+) with 1 tablespoon of assorted seasonings and 2 tablespoons brown sugar.

Order some of our fresh fish online and simmer until the sauce has reduced by half or until it is slightly thick and syrupy. Refrigerate until ready to serve or glaze away!

Here are a few tasty combinations:

Teriyaki: Porter+ Soy Sauce+ Ginger+ Garlic+ Brown Sugar (finish with chopped scallions)

BBQ Beer: Saison+ Ketchup+ Hot Sauce+ Liquid Smoke+ Worcestershire Sauce+ Brown Sugar+ Chili Powder+ Garlic+ Onion+ Salt.

Honey Beer: Fruit Flavored Beer+ Honey+ Dijon Mustard (no brown sugar needed)+ Garlic+ Shallots

Battered

Best Seafood: Catfish Fillets, Cod Fillets, Rockfish, Fresh Shrimp, Shucked Oysters, Calamari

Best Beer: Pilsners, Lagers, Hefeweizens, IPAs, Belgium Triples

Ooooh beer battered seafood is so so good! Here we’ve mapped out an easy beer batter recipe as well as how to fry perfectly every time.

Print

Easy Beer Batter Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups beer
• 2 cups sparkling water
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. In a large bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, garlic, onion, cayenne, sugar and salt. Whisk in beer, sparkling water and egg.
2. Whisk until smooth.
3. Coat seafood in flour before battering, season flour with a little Old Bay… it’s perfecto.
4. Heat oil in the fryer to 325°F, deep fryer works best for frying
5. Keep a thermometer handy, seafood should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F.
6. Drain your beer battered fried seafood on a wire rack- so it will not get soggy.

Simmered

Best Seafood: Fresh Shrimp, Lobster Meat, Scallops, Red Snapper, Swordfish

Best Beer: IPAs, Porters, Hefeweizens, Stouts, Saison, Belgium Triples

Our ‘Simmered’ category covers all your soup and stew needs. Beer works great as a subbed in ingredient for any chowder, bouillabaisse, bisque, gumbo or cioppino. Reduce any liquid quantity in your recipe by half and add in your favorite beer!

IPAs, saisons, triples and hefeweizens work well with creamy soups. Darker, heavier beers work best with tomato or both based soup.

Steamed

Best Seafood: Crabs, Crab Legs, Spiced Shrimp, Steamed Lobsters, Crawfish, Mussels, Clams

Best Beer: Pilsners, Lagers, Hefeweizens, IPAs, Saison

Steaming seafood in beer is a great way to infuse with flavor. It’s been a family tradition of ours since I can remember. It’s super simple, just replace your plain water with either a pilsner, lager, hefe, IPA or saison…the lighter colored beers are best. Bring to a simmer and steam following your seafood reheating instructions. Season with a little Old Bay and you’re on your way for a great seafood feast.

Buy Seafood Online-and cook good food at home!

All of the seafood listed in these recipes are available at our online store. As we say, ‘from shore to door, 3 days fresher than the grocery store’-all of our seafood is delivered right to your door when you schedule it, guaranteed! That’s convenience you need, especially for dinner prepping and planning.

We’d love to see your Cameron’s Seafood cooked in beer creations-share your images on any of our social pages, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter be sure to tag us @cameronsseafoodonline.

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