Angler's Ale Fish Sandwiches with Avocado Sauce

Let's see...how do I put this sandwich into words?  How do I tell you how wonderful the crispy beer batter is?  How do I tell you that the combination of the crispy batter, flaky fish, and homemade avocado sauce is a match made in heaven?  Maybe I should just come out and say it.  It's crispy.  It's fried.  It's slathered with a sauce that's so delicious I could eat it plain.  It is scrumptious.

For this recipe you will need:

Oil for frying
1 cup Arcadia Angler's Ale
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
Salt and pepper
1 small red onion, thinly sliced and rings separated
Juice of 1 lime
1 large jalapeño pepper or 2 small Serrano peppers, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic
1 avocado
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup sour cream
A small handful of cilantro
4 6-ounce pieces thick, sustainable white fish, such as orange roughy, cod, haddock, or pollack
4 brioche buns, split
Chopped pickles
4 slices of ripe tomato
Sliced lettuce

In a Dutch oven or large, deep skillet, heat 2 inches of oil over medium to medium-high heat.  You'll know the oil is hot enough when you put the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil and bubbles vigorously roll off of it.

In a bowl, whisk together beer, flour, dried spices and some salt.

Douse rings of red onion with lime juice and season with salt and pepper.

To a food processor or blender, add chile pepper and grate garlic directly into the bowl or blender. Add avocado flesh and squeeze in lemon juice - squeeze it cut-side up to keep seeds from falling into processor. Add sour cream, a good pinch of salt and cilantro, and process into a smooth green sauce. Scrape into small serving dish and reserve.

Coat fish pieces in the beer batter and fry in the hot oil to deep golden, 6-7 minutes. Drain on rack and season with a pinch of salt.  I fried two pieces at a time, and kept the first two on a baking rack on a baking sheet in a warm oven to keep them hot and crispy until the last two were ready to serve.

Serve the fish on bun bottoms and top with pickles, tomatoes, lettuce and lime-pickled red onions. Slather bun tops with avocado sauce and set in place.

Serve with salt and vinegar chips or corn tortilla chips and salsa alongside.