Mrs. Paul’s Beer Battered Fillets Review

Mrs. Paul’s Beer Battered Fillets do not taste like beer, but instead, have a deliciously light crust and mild fish taste that I think most will appreciate. They bake up in a half-hour in the oven, and serve well as the hub of many seafood meals.

Benefits, Pros, Advantages, and Features

These fish fillets have a pleasant, not-too-fishy flavor, and their aroma is equally subdued.
Their box can be re closed with built-in tabs that fit into slots on the top flap.
The fillets themselves are packed in a re close-able plastic bag for freshness.
The fish itself is 100% Alaska Pollock fish, without fillers. Alaska Pollock is a meek-tasting yet full-bodied fish (at least, as full-bodied as whitefish can be anyhow). So it accepts flavoring spices well, and does not dominate the dish.
This battered fish has lots of good-for-the-heart omega-3 fatty acids.
These treats from the sea absorb lots of Frank’s Xtra Hot Sauce; my favorite topping.
I follow the twenty-eight to thirty minutes in the oven at 425 degrees instructions on the box. This always yields very hot, quite crunchy, and golden brown fish.
While baking, the fish fillets give off a soft, sizzling sound and mouth-watering aroma, so that when they’re finally ready to eat, I’m really anxious to have at them. This aural aromatic preamble makes actually eating them even more of a delectable treat.
Though beer battered, these fillets taste little if anything like beer at all. They have a great signature flavor that resembles little else I’ve ever tasted. The batter truly enhances the overall taste and satisfaction.
The 20-ounce box I bought has 10% more fish for the same price; one of those promotional deals.
The recommended-use-by date is just under a year out from the purchase date. So these will keep well, unopened, in the freezer for about a year.
They’re a good source of protein, have 210 milligrams of Omega-3 fatty acids per 2-fillet serving, and contain 0 grams of trans fat.
The box is 100% recyclable.

Disadvantages, Cons, Problems, and Concerns

I must eat three or four servings to really feel full.
When I baked them, they stick a lot to the aluminum foil liner. Prying them off of the foil mangled the foil so much during flipping, that for the second half of the baking, a new piece of foil was required.
Mrs. Paul’s makes the batter from enriched flour. I’d prefer that they use all whole grains in their seasoned coatings.
This product has added sugar and preservatives. So these fillets definitely qualify as one of those dreaded processed foods.
These frozen fish fillets do not heat up well in the microwave. In fact, the box does not recommend microwave preparation. But an ability to “nuke” them would shorten preparation time significantly.
The bag does not easily re seal, unless you use a bag clip. It’d be nice if they used a zipper freshness lock pouch.
Lots of sodium in my view (680 milligrams), in two of these rather small fillets.

Cooking Directions

Position one of your conventional oven racks in the middle set of holders in the oven. The rack should be neither too close to the top, nor too close to the bottom in the oven.
Pre heat oven to 425 degrees F.
While waiting for the oven to warm, line a shallow baking pan with aluminum foil to minimize cleanup.
Coat that foil liner with a bit of high-temperature non-stick spray.
Remove the desired number of beer battered fillets from the box and plastic inner pouch, and place them in this foil-lined baking pan, arranging them so that there’s a little space between them.
Then, once the oven reaches 425 degrees, place pan, uncovered, in oven, in the center of the middle rack.
Bake for 28 to 30 minutes total time, or until crunchy and browned.
Flip fish over after 14 minutes, and bake for 16 more minutes with the down side up.
Once baking is done, remove the fillets from the oven. Note that fish is not completely cooked until its internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. or higher.
Turn off the oven.
Let the fillets stand for three minutes. I do not remove them from the baking pan until the sizzling stops, which takes approximately two minutes.
Finally, eat the fish and enjoy.

Do not refreeze raw fish or prepare in a toaster oven or microwave, Promptly refrigerate any unused cooked fish.

Ingredients List

Alaska Pollock (fish, sodium tripolyphosphate to retain fish moisture), water, vegetable oil (cottonseed, and / or canola, and / or sunflower, and / or soybean with TBHQ and citric acid as preservatives), wheat flour, yellow corn flour, wheat flour (enriched with niacin, ferrous sulphate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), salt soybean oil. Contains 2% or less of beer (water, rice, cornstarch, barley malt, hop extract, yeast), modified food starch, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate), autolyzed yeast extract, salt, sugar, dextrose, spice, onion powder.

Contains: Fish (Pollock), wheat

Nutrition Facts

Serving size: 2 fillets (108 grams). Servings per container: about 6.
Calories: 210. Calories from fat: 90.
Total fat: 10 grams, 15% DV.
Saturated fat: 3 grams, 15% DV.
Trans fat: 0 grams.
Polyunsaturated fat: 2 grams.
Monounsaturated fat: 5 grams.
Cholesterol: 25 milligrams, 8% DV.
Sodium: 680 milligrams, 20% DV.
Total carbohydrate: 21 grams, 7% DV.
Dietary Fiber: 1 gram, 4% DV.
Sugars: 4 grams.
Protein: 10 grams., 20% DV.
Vitamin A: 0% DV.
Calcium: 0% DV.
Vitamin C: 0% DV.
Iron: 4% DV.

Product Rating

Though they could be better if prepared without the white flour and sugar, they’re excellent eating anyway, so long as you don’t make a feast of them too often. Over all, I truly love the flavor of Mrs. Paul’s Beer Battered Fillets. They cost a reasonable amount, are pretty easy to prepare, taste delicious, and are on the whole quite good for you. So I’d recommend them to anyone hungry for the taste of decently seasoned fish. I’d rate them at 93 out of 100.

Where To Buy Mrs. Paul’s Beer Battered Fillets

Look for this product in the frozen foods section at most larger grocery stores and food outlets, in the green and yellow box with the red and white letters. It shows a picture of these fillets on the front along with a slice of lemon.

References

Revision History

2015-02-07: Moved this post to the Tom’s Diet Quest blog, added whitespace, adjusted ad placement, and tweaked the content.
2012-06-29: Originally published.