Julie Clark
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Paleo Fried Fish
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Make this crispy, Paleo Fried Fish for a healthy, 30-minute meal that kids will love! A gluten free fried fish batter that you will not believe is good for you.
Do you ever get stuck in the chicken and ground beef rut for dinner?
I know we do. To many of us, chicken and ground beef are the safe, easy meats to prepare at home. It’s true that they are easy, but I’m going to push you out of your ground beef comfort zone today and show how quickly a paleo battered fish dinner can come together.
Healthy fried fish even the kids will love.
I know a lot of times kids (and even adults) can cringe at the idea of fish. This Paleo Battered Fish will become a favorite. How do I know? Because two of my kids were not happy with my choice of fish for dinner, but as soon as they had one bite of this crispy, fried cod, they suddenly thought fish was the best dinner ever.
I developed this version of paleo fried fish which means it is grain-free, gluten-free, sugar-free and dairy free. Healthy, but still fantastically delicious.
And the kids still loved it. Success.
Ingredients in Paleo Battered Fish
- Tapioca starch and coconut flour. These are two naturally gluten-free flours. The coconut flour adds flavor and texture while the tapioca starch helps the breading hold together. If you don’t like coconut flour you could try almond flour.
- Garlic salt, salt, ground black pepper. Simple seasonings to this fish can go with just about any side dish, but “chips” and dill pickles are a favorite! Just like a traditional fish fry.
- Eggs. Eggs help the batter be nice and thick and help it stick to the fish.
- Sparkling water. Why sparkling water? It’s a replacement for the beer in beer battered fish. If you’d like, you can just use plain water.
- Alaskan cod. The 5 Alaskan cod fish filets that I used were large. I cut the fillets into two triangles to make 10 smaller pieces of fish. Make sure the cod fillets are defrosted and pat them dry with a paper towel so the batter sticks better. You can also use halibut, haddock or even shrimp.
- Olive oil. Coconut oil or avocado oil are two good alternatives.
Before you begin.
Two things to think about before you make this paleo fried fish.
- When using gluten-free/grain free ingredients, it’s important to handle the fish the least amount possible. The breading doesn’t stick on as well as with regular white flour. I placed the fish in the oil, then didn’t touch it for 4 minutes until I turned the fish. Then the fish cooked for another 3-4 minutes and I gently removed the fish to wire rack so that they can drip but stay crispy.
- Don’t cook the fish too long. Depending on the thickness of the fish fillets, it will only take 3-5 minutes of frying on each side before it is done. Test the fish carefully with a fork and it should be white and flaky. If you cook the fish too long, it may get tough.
How to Make Paleo Fried Fish
Don’t be scared off at the thought of making a fried fish dinner. Paleo fish is easy to prepare and cooks quickly, making this a meal you can get on your table in under 30 minutes, and here’s how you’ll do it.
- In a shallow bowl, combine the tapioca starch, coconut flour, seasonings, eggs and water. Whisk well. Add more sparkling water if the mixture gets too thick.
- Heat ½ cup of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- While the oil is heating, cut the cod fillets in half diagonally (if they are too big and you’d like smaller pieces). Use a paper towel to gently pat the cod fillets dry.
- Once the oil is hot, coat the cod fillets with the batter, let any excess batter drip off and place them into the hot oil.
- Allow the fillets to cook for 4 minutes, then gently flip the fillets and allow them to cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until they are white and flaky inside. Be careful not to overcook. Fish is safe to eat with an internal temperature of 145ºF. Use our favorite instant read thermometer!
- Once the fillets are done, use a spatula to remove them from the oil and place them on wire rack with paper towels underneath so that they stay crispy. Serve immediately.
Recipe Variations
- Cut the fish into strips to make fish sticks! The kids will love this.
- We’re often asked if you can use your air fryer for this recipe. I wouldn’t recommend it because of the batter would stick in the basket grates. If you try it, use foil or a pan to air fry the fish in.
- Cut the fried fish into pieces and make fish tacos! Place it in a flour tortilla and top it with pineapple salsa or mango salsa and Mexican coleslaw.
What to Serve with Paleo Fried Fish
Looking for side dishes? Try one of these:
If you don’t need paleo, serve our pineapple coleslaw with this gluten free fried fish recipe.
Paleo Battered Fish
Make this crispy, Paleo Battered Fish for a healthy, 30-minute meal that kids will love! A gluten free fried fish batter that you will not believe is good for you.
Servings 5 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup tapioca starch
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sparkling water or more depending on thickness you'd like
- 24 ounces Alaskan cod fillets
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the tapioca starch, coconut flour, seasonings, eggs and water. ¾ cup tapioca starch, ¼ cup coconut flour, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 2 large eggs, ¼ cup sparkling water
- Heat ½ cup of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Cut the cod fillets in half diagonally (if they are too big and you'd like smaller pieces). Use a paper towel to gently pat the cod fillets dry.
- Once the oil is hot, coat the cod fillets with the batter and place them into the hot oil. 24 ounces Alaskan cod fillets
- Allow the fillets to cook for 4 minutes, then gently flip the fillets and allow them to cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until they are white and flaky inside. Be careful not to overcook.
- Once the fillets are done, use a spatula to remove them from the oil and place them on wire rack with paper towels underneath so that they stay crispy. Serve immediately.
Notes
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 5, with 1 serving being 1 piece of fish. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Serving: 201g | Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 133mg | Sodium: 1047mg | Potassium: 595mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.5g | Vitamin A: 163IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg
This is an amazing recipe, it worked out so well for me and was super quick and easy. Thank you.
IN the past when I have tried to make a battered fish, when I go to flip it I lose the bottom crispy battered layer. What am I doing wrong?
Can this be made in the oven by baking at 425, baking on an oiled parchment sheet with oil sprayed ontop of the coated fish?
I am making this recipe for the second time! It was so delicious! When I mix the batter, it is very dry, and I added more sparkling water. It just happened again, and I was wondering what I may be doing incorrectly?
Thanks so much g=for creating this!
Wow! This is AMAZING! Thank you so much for coming up with such a great recipe that actually works! You’re a genius 👍👍👍
The battered was very good . It’s hard to find a battered that’s paleo and tasty at the same time. Just had to add a bit more water than recipe called for and I seasoned the fish. It fried very nicely. Will definitely make again.
This is the first feedback to a recipe page I ever took the time to post. I am on a pretty restricted diet, and this one had all ingredients I can consume. Best part, the fish was very tasty, moist with a nice crispy batter on the outside. I am not a huge fish fan in general, but loved this!
Thank you sooooo much for posting your recipe!
I made this tonight with rockfish. It turned out perfectly! Thank you for the amazing recipe. I’m already thinking about other foods to try with the batter-shrimp, cod, chicken,broccoli, onions !
We had this a couple of times while on whole 30 (including tonight). It is absolutely fantastic!! I used arrowroot instead of tapioca and fried in avocado oil.
I have had trouble getting the batter to stick so I dipped it on one side, put it in the pan with that side down, then spooned batter on the other side.
It is crispy, flavorful, so delicious. We will continue making it even though we’ve finished whole 30.
Thanks for the recipe!!
This was really tasty. The batter did stick to the fish. When resting on the paper towel it loses its crunch, so I think I’m going to try a wire rack next time.
I used this batter to make silverfish fritters for the 7 Fishes dinner! I did the recipe exactly as written, but instead of dipping fish into the batter, I mixed in 14 ounces of silver fish and scooped 1 T at a time into the oil to fry/flip.
It worked PERFECTLY. Thank you!
This recipe is exceptional. I have a restrictive diet and had grown quite tired of eating and preparing the same foods month after month. My, what a wonderful deviation from the norm; this was my first time frying fish and trying grain-free batter. Thank you for sharing this recipe with others. Supper was a success this evening.
Great batter recipe. Came out light and crisp and delicious. If it feels a little thick, just thin it with a little extra water. Pat your fish dry before dipping it in the batter and it will adhere much better. You could also sprinkle a little tapioca flour, very thinly onto the fish before dipping, and the batter will stick.
Batter was perfect. Applied it to haddock. No slippage. Remember to keep oil hot, 375 at least before you add the fish, then bring the temp back up to 345 as you fry. An indispensable tool for any cook is an instant read thermometer. I recommend paying a bit more but choosing one from Thermoworks.
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I just made this for lunch for my husband and I and we both loved it! I read all the comments about the batter being too thick so I doubled the amount of sparkling water and it was a really nice consistency. It honestly came out perfect. It was a beautiful golden color and tasted great! Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ll be adding it to our rotation of meals.