If you love battered, fried fish, you’ve got to try Kibbeling! This Dutch fried fish is a popular street food comprised of chunks of lightly battered cod served with any variety of delicious dips or sauces. It’s surprisingly easy to make, and is guaranteed to satisfy you the next time you’re craving fried fish.

A serving dish of chunks of battered fried fish with bowls of dipping sauces behind it.

Kibbeling is a popular Dutch street food and snack consisting of chunks of fish battered and deep-fried. At its initial creation, kibbeling typically used less popular and cheap cod cheeks as a way to use them up. Nowadays, you can find it made with chunks of cod fillet or other less expensive white fish such as pollock, hake, haddock, and whiting.

If you want to make more of a meal of it, serve kibbeling with a side of fries and a salad. You can even dip your fries in any of the sauces you make to serve alongside your Dutch fried fish bites. I particularly recommend the cocktail, garlic, and curry sauces for bonus french fry dipping!

Kibbeling in a serving dish next to a platter of five dipping sauces in small bowls.

Customizing your kibbeling

Kibbeling is typically served with mayonnaise-based sauces such as:

Remouladesaus (Remoulade Sauce): There are several variations of remoulade, including the classic French style and New Orleans style. The one used here is more French style and features mayonnaise with pickles, capers, lemon juice, and herbs.
Ravigottesaus (Ravigote Sauce): Traditional French ravigote is more of a vinaigrette style sauce, however in the Netherlands what they serve with kibbeling is mayonnaise-based just like the others. It’s similar to remoulade, however it includes sour cream in place of some of the mayo, omits the lemon juice, and instead contains shallot.
Cocktailsaus (Cocktail Sauce): Not the cocktail sauce you may be familiar with that’s served with cocktail shrimp. Rather this Dutch cocktail sauce is a combination of mayo and ketchup and often contains a drop or two of whiskey.
Knoflooksaus (Garlic Sauce): Similar to aioli, but also often contains sour cream, crème fraîche, or yogurt. The particular recipe I share is more yogurt forward with a bit of mayonnaise to round it out.
Joppiesaus (Curry Sauce): Less common as an accompaniment to kibbeling, but a delicious twist! This curry mayo is a Dutch favorite for dipping fries. This sauce was originally created by Janine "Joppie" de Jager of Annie's Snackbar in Glanerbrug. The real recipe is a secret, but I share a copycat version you can try.

Ingredient notes

Ingredients for kibbeling on a beige background.

Fish: Cod is the ideal type of fish to use for kibbeling. My recommended part of the cod is to use the loin which is sometimes called the tenderloin or captain’s cut. This is cut from the middle section of the fish which is the thickest part of the fillet. These pieces are easier to 1) cut into even-sized chunks, 2) cook evenly, and 3) retain their moisture and not dry out when cooked. You can substitute another similar white fish for the cod, such as pollock, hake, or haddock, if you’d like. Avoid using any really thin pieces of fish closer to the tail.
Flour: Plain all-purpose flour is perfect for this purpose.
Egg: Some fish batters include egg while others don’t. The purpose of the egg is to act as a binder to help the batter stick better to the fish, but it also provides leavening which helps lighten the crust. Adding too much egg, however, can result in a cakey batter instead of a light and crisp one.
Milk and Carbonated Liquid: For a crisp and light batter, ideally you want some component that provides bubbles. Most commonly this includes either beer (usually something light like a lager), carbonated water (like seltzer or club soda), or adding baking powder. In this recipe I use a combination of milk and either beer or carbonated water. If you want a dairy-free batter, replace the milk with plain water.
Spices: I’ve included a suggested variety of common spices (with amounts) that you can use as a baseline for your kibbeling. These include salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and nutmeg. Feel free to use other fish spice mixes that you like, or make your own with different spices that you prefer! I’ve also seen kibbeling recipes include some curry powder into the spice mixture, which you could definitely try.

Big chucks of battered fried fish in a wide serving dish.

How to make it

Kibbeling

Make the fish spice mix by combining salt, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper and nutmeg in a small mixing bowl.

Dry the fish well with paper towels, then cut into 2-inch pieces. Toss the fish pieces with the spice mix to evenly coat.

Chunks of cod coated with a spice mixture in a metal mixing bowl.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour and make a well in the center. Add beaten egg, milk, and beer or seltzer and stir until smooth, but don’t overmix.

Before combining flour with a wet mixture to make a fish frying batter.

After combining flour with a wet mixture to make a fish frying batter.

Fill a deep fryer or a heavy deep pan or pot (such as cast iron) with oil to about 2 inches deep. Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C).

Line a baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup) or paper towels. Place a metal cooling rack onto the baking sheet (one that fits to size). Place this next to your frying station so you remove the fried fish pieces to the rack so they stay crisp.

Spread some flour on a plate. Then one by one dust each piece of fish with flour, shaking off the excess. In batches, add some of the seasoned and floured fish chunks to the batter and stir to lightly coat.

A chuck of seasoned fish dusted with flour.

A chunk of fish coated with batter before frying.

Carefully, one by one, add the battered fish pieces into the hot oil. Using a fork to gently lift them out helps to keep most of the batter on the fish. Do not overcrowd the oil, and occasionally use a spider skimmer to gently jostle the pieces around, and flip them over as needed to brown evenly.

Fry for about 6 minutes total per batch, then remove the fish to the prepared cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining fish and batter.

Chunks of battered fried cod on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.

Sauces

Serve kibbeling with your favorite dipping sauce(s). Either make them all, make a few, or pick just one!

Each of the sauce recipes makes about 6 tablespoons of dipping sauce. If you only make one type, multiply the sauce recipe by 4 to ensure you have plenty for all the fish. If you make two kinds of sauce, double each recipe.

Five sauces before mixing in small glass bowls with labels on chalkboard signs next to them.

Five different dipping sauces in small glass bowls with labels on chalkboard signs next to them.

For any of the sauce recipes, combine the ingredients in a small mixing bowl until smooth. All of the actual measurements are included in the recipe card below. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Remouladesaus (Remoulade Sauce)

Mayonnaise
Cornichons or pickles
Capers
Herbs
Dijon mustard
Lemon juice

Ravigottesaus (Ravigote Sauce)

Mayonnaise
Sour Cream
Shallot
Cornichons or pickles
Capers
Herbs
Dijon mustard

Remoulade and ravigote sauces before mixing in small bowls labeled with chalkboard signs.

Remoulade and ravigote sauces after mixing in small bowls labeled with chalkboard signs.

Cocktailsaus (Cocktail Sauce)

Mayonnaise
Ketchup
Whiskey or cognac
Paprika

Cocktail sauce before mixing in a small bowl labeled with a chalkboard sign.

Cocktail sauce after mixing in a small bowl labeled with a chalkboard sign.

Knoflooksaus (Garlic Sauce)

Yogurt
Mayonnaise
Garlic
Chives
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Joppiesaus (Curry Sauce)

Mayonnaise
Shallot
Curry powder
Ketchup
Paprika

Garlic and curry sauces before mixing in small bowls labeled with chalkboard signs.

Garlic and curry sauces after mixing in small bowls labeled with chalkboard signs.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Expert tips

You can keep your first batches of fried kibbeling warm in a 200°F (100°C) oven while you are frying the rest. They're best served immediately while they're still crisp and hot.

If the coating on the first batch softens by the time the last batch comes out of the fryer, you can add the first batch back into the hot oil to recrisp for a couple minutes and then serve.

Leftovers can be reheated in an air fryer or on a rack set on top of a baking sheet in a 450°F-475°F (430°C-445°C) oven until heated through and crisped back up.

It’s important to thoroughly dry the fish with paper towels before seasoning, flouring, and battering. If the fish is wet, the later additions won’t stick well to it.

Use a fork to turn the fish pieces in the batter and then remove them to transfer to the oil. If using your fingers, I find that the batter can come off parts of the fish, but the fork does a more gentle job since it touches less of the surface than your fingers do.

Use a deep fryer with a built in thermometer or a separate deep-fry thermometer for the most accurate results in maintaining your oil temperature for the best results. If you’re frying on your stovetop, you may need to occasionally adjust the heat controls to maintain a steady temperature for your oil. This is a big part of why I love using the deep fryer option!

Make sure you have enough oil in the pot so the fish pieces are fully submerged. If they aren’t, the batter can slide off the top of the fish pieces as they are frying. Ask me how I know 🙂

A good ratio of flour to liquid in frying batter is 1:1 which is what we have here. If the batter is too thin, it will slide off the fish, too thick, and the crust will be thick and unpleasant to eat.

Dutch fried fish bites in a serving dish next to a platter of dipping sauces.

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