Want battered fish portions, but the oven’s on the blink? In a hurry and can’t wait? It seems a waste to turn on the oven just for this one little food item? You’re now wondering can you microwave battered fish!

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I’m a big fan of battered fish, but usually buy packs of frozen battered fish for simplicity of meal planning. My current favourite brand is Aldi Fishmonger Cod 4 Battered Cod Fish Fillets. They’re a great size and make it easy for me to have fish on Friday and enjoy it!

But, I’m rarely willing, or able, to spend the time oven baking it – so there comes a point when you wonder if you can microwave battered fish! Additionally, I begrudge using the oven for half an hour just to heat up a small dinner! Energy costs have been rising and they never go down.

The short answer is: Yes, you can microwave frozen battered fish. Isn’t that great news!

You might have to try a few brands to find your favourite, but I’m more than happy with the way that the Aldi Fishmonger range turns out in the microwave. It’s not soggy, it’s still got crispy batter and the cod tastes delicious.

How to Microwave Battered Fish

• It’s best to try to keep the battered fish portion as flat as possible. Place it on a microwave safe dish or plate.
• Microwave for 1 minute on high, remove from the microwave and let it sit for a minute or so; this helps the excess moisture to steam off, helping to prevent soggy batter.
• Turn the cod fish fillet over and microwave for 1 minute on high. Again, let it sit for a minute or so.
• Check the middle of the fish is cooked, I tend to feel the bottom of the dish to feel if it feels cold, or colder, at all! If you’re not convinced it’s cooked, turn it over and just microwave it for a further 30 seconds or so.
• Leaving the cod fillet in batter out of the microwave to ‘finish cooking’ is the best way to ensure the batter stays as crispy as possible.

It will never be that dry, crispness, that you get from a freshly fried portion at a chip shop, but it’s a fraction of the cost and a lot cheaper than the £4-6 a local chip shop might charge you!

Using a 900w Microwave

I’ve changed my microwave since I wrote this. I’ve now got a 900w microwave, whereas all my previous microwave ovens had been 700-750w cheap brands.

I’ve found that the 900watt microwave cooks a lot of things fast and better.

For these Battered Cod Fillets I found that the outcome is better; the fish batter has a better texture. I didn’t bother to let it rest between 1 minute blasts and it was fine.

Meals Under £1

It’s increasingly of interest to many people to look at cheaper meals, at making their own fakeaway, at making the budget stretch. I’ve always liked to keep on top of my overall food budget; in my head I set a £10/week budget – if I do spend more, then that’s because I’ve actively chosen to bust the budget on something I feel is of value. I say “you can only spend it once” – and if you’re saving in one area, it frees up money to spend on something else that’s important!

Just 67p Each: Using these Battered Cod Fish Fillets, costing £2.69 for four, they work out at just 67p each. The pack weighs 500g, so the cost comparison is £5.38 per kg. Each battered cod portion weighs 125 grams

By adding 15-20p of oven chips to the plate, with either frozen peas or half a tin of mushy peas on the side, this meal comes in at under £1! Compare that to the cost of buying fish, chips and peas from the local chippy, which might come in closer to nearly £10!

There are frozen fish and chip ready meals in supermarkets – providing smaller portions at a higher cost! One typical cost for comparison is a 400 gram pack of Birds Eye Captain’s Cod, fish and chips, which typically costs £2.50/pack!

Alternatively, you can have battered cod, chips and baked beans!

This is also a meal for under £1, using half a tin of own brand beans

These chips shown are also cooked in the microwave – they do go browner than some of the photos show, but I get impatient -and- my lighting/camera don’t always play ball, especially as I’m taking a hurried snap as I really want to get on and just eat my meal! Can You Microwave Frozen Oven Chips?

Try it – remember, part of the success is that “waiting” part in the cooking process as you allow the fish to get rid of the steam, which will keep the batter as crispy as possible under the circumstances.

It’s a winner in my book – and definitely makes my Best Cheats Meals list.

2022 Price Update: £2.99

I’ve just had this again, so taking a look at how much it’s gone up by! Looking at my receipt from 29 May I paid £2.99 for four Aldi Fishmonger battered cod fish fillets; looking on the Aldi website right now, 12 days later, they’re are still £2.99.

The Asda mushy peas I saw in the week are now priced at 25p; they were 15p when I “stocked up” 2-3 months ago.

I can’t tell how much the Lidl chips are as they don’t have the straight cut chips on their website.

If I went out shopping today to buy these three products, this single portion would have cost 75p + 13p + 15p (assuming chips didn’t change) = £1.03.

No longer a meal under £1, but close enough to still be included.

2022 Price Update, October 2022: £3.19

I’ve just bought another pack of these. Four Fishmonger Battered Cod Fillets, 500g.

They are now £3.19. I still bought them as they’ve turned into a regular Fish on Friday food treat 🙂