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
Can I use arrowroot starch instead of tapioca?
tapioca starch made all my fish taste bitter. not good. had to throw away..not sure what went wrong as the batter looks simple
I have made this delicious battered fish way too many times to not finally leave a 5 STAR REVIEW!! If you haven’t tried this recipe yet….what are tou waiting for! It’s easy and oh so good. I have autoimmune so this is a must for me. My husband can eat what he wants and he requests that we have this for dinner!!! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Thank you! I used the batter recipe with shrimp. Turned out nice and crispy
This was SO GOOD! I usually don’t comment on recipes, like ever, but this was delicious and worked perfectly. I put in 1/2 cup of sparkling water instead of 1/4, and fried in coconut oil. The kids and husband loved it, I’ll be making again for sure. Thank you!
is tilapia too delicate to use instead of cod? it might be too thin to handle the heat or the flipping? I cook it for just 7 minuts in the broiler (no coating of course)
This recipe is fantastic! My SO is sensitive to everything and cooking can get complicated. This is one of the only recipes I haven’t had to alter. Turned out great the first time through! Coconut oil is great for frying since it adds a little sweetness and I might add a little paprika next time for a kick. We made not quite tartar sauce using organic grass fed yogurt and some spices including dill and celery since pickles aren’t an option.
This recipe is delicious! Could I make this in the air fryer? if so, for how long would I need to cook each side?
Thanks so much! 🙂
Julia
Can the fish be frozen and then reheated without going soggy? If so, what’s the best way to reheat it?
Meant to mark 5 stars! See my comment above.
This was really amazing! Great batter, browns very well to golden crispy, and tastes REALLY yummy. I am impressed and will be using this recipe again. I think this would be amazing for Baja tacos with avocado aolie (spelling is wrong). Thank you so much! Oh by the way we went to buy cod and the guy said soda was spilt on 40lbs of cod so they did not have any so we bought Tilapia and this recipe worked beautifully for this too. 4 mins one side – 3.5 mins other side.
This recipe is great! We use it all the time for chicken tenders as well as fish, shrimp, etc. The one thing I will say, is that 1/4 cup sparkling water is nowhere near enough. We typically use closer to 3/4 cup.
Love this! Can’t wait to make it again!
I don’t have sparkling water. What can I use as replacement?? Almond milk?
I had no tapioca starch so I did not use and I doubled the recipe and used lime sparking water. I didn’t touch the fish for 4 min each side. I also used talapia .. turned out amazing and my boyfriend raves about this.. I made him talapia tacos I of course didn’t eat the tortilla.