Best battered fish to buy for 2024

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Just add chips!

With most of these tried and tested battered fish fillets cooking in around 20 minutes, a fish and chip supper can be a speedy and convenient midweek meal for the whole family.

Feeling fancy? You could try making your own chip shop-style curry sauce or tartare, and serve with our GHI Taste Approved oven chips for a tasty fish and chip Friday. Mushy peas optional.

We tried 13 varieties to find our favourites. These are our tasting panel’s top picks at a glance but keep scrolling to read their full reviews.

The NHS recommends we eat two portions of fish a week, with one of these being oily, such as salmon. Most of us fail to do that, so aiming to incorporate more steamed, baked or grilled fish into your diet is a great way to help us reach this target.

If you're after something a little more indulgent, fish coated in breadcrumbs, rather than batter, can be a healthier choice. However, eaten as part of a balanced diet, battered fish can make a tasty and speedy supper – plus, adding a portion of peas to your plate will help contribute to your five-a-day.

At the GHI, our panel of 10 taste testers tried 13 varieties of battered fish to see which offered the most authentic chip shop experience. The fish was cooked according to packet cooking instructions and served blind to avoid brand bias. They were looking for crispy, golden batter that complemented the moist, flaky fish fillet within.

These are the best the boat brought in…

Score: 90/100

Our joint winner was the closest contender to the haddock you’d typically find at a fish and chip shop, with a clean tasting, succulent fillet encased in perfectly crisp golden batter. Just add chips – and lashings of salt and vinegar – for an authentic “chippy” tea at home.

In-store only

Score: 90/100

These cod fillets scored highly with our panel, thanks to their generous filling of flaky cod and light, flavoursome batter. We reckon they’d make an excellent posh fish finger sandwich, with buttered bloomer bread, tartare sauce and a squeeze of lemon.

Score: 81/100

Too often, frozen fish loses its moisture on cooking, but not these battered cod fillets from ASDA. Deliciously succulent, our testers loved the light tang from the ale in the crispy batter, too.

Score: 80/100

Jumbo by name, jumbo by nature. These generous cod fillets – weighing in at a whopping 250g each – were jam packed with succulent cod and encased in a “moreish, bubbly” batter. We’ll be stashing a box in our freezer for time-short weeknights, that’s for sure.

Score: 77/100

This Sainsbury’s fish was milder in flavour – perhaps lacking the saline note of just-landed cod – but the delicious batter more than made up for it.

Perfectly golden with no residual oiliness, there’s an unmistakable savoury note of beer running through it, though some panelists would recommend a few extra minutes in the oven if you like yours on the crispier side.

Score: 77/100

Though the haddock fillets were slightly thinner than others we tested, our panellists praised the full-flavoured batter coating (made with Black Sheep Ale, no less).

The oil gives it a pleasant crunch and toasted note, without overwhelming the delicate flavours of the fish.

Score: 77/100

The light haddock flavour here is bolstered with a generous dusting of salt and pepper, plus a welcome tang of lemon in the batter. There’s a breadcrumb-like quality to the coating, which some testers likened to classic fishcakes, and most enjoyed the crunchy exterior.

Score: 76/100

The “satisfying texture” and “savoury seasoning” of the batter proved popular with our panel, while the clean-tasting fish proves the perfect canvas for fish tacos; layer on floury tortillas and load up with slaw, guacamole, and pico de gallo for a winning midweek meal.

Score: 74/100

This four-pack of breaded cod fillets is ideal for families on a budget — and the fact they can be cooked from frozen will make mealtimes a doddle.

Panellists praised the “firm, meaty flakes,” adding that the “flavoursome batter” offers a good level of seasoning that would suit kids (and big kids!) alike.

Callum is our Food and Drink Testing Manager and has been part of the world of professional catering for 10 years, from cheffing to food manufacturing. While working in manufacturing he specialised in bespoke product and menu development for several start-ups and well-known brands such as Wrap It Up! and HOP Vietnamese. He holds the WSET Level 2 in wine, a Level 3 in spirits and has a particular interest in agave spirits.

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