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 my go to recipe to fry fish, chicken etc. Goes well with both. It is excellent!!!
For those who can’t have “egg” I tried using plain coconut milk, can also use coconut flour. 1/4 cup of milk is the equivalent of 1 egg. The batter came out smooth and we tried it, to make onion rings and fish. TASTES AMAZING! Thank you for the inspiration to move past no eggs.
I made this tonight and it was amazing! Like, the best fish recipe I’ve ever made. This is comparable to a restaurant for sure. Super impressed and this is a keeper recipe 🙂 Thank you so much!
P.S. reading some of the other comments, it’s worth noting – I did add some extra sparkling water to thin the batter slightly. Probably about 1/8 cup extra, but that made it perfect. It stuck to my fish perfectly – no issues with sliding off. I also used coconut oil instead of olive oil – I just prefer it for frying. (I patted the fish dry, coated it, and then plopped it in the pan with the oil.)
This was so good! I made it last night – it was easy to do and turned out so well. The whole family loved it (finally – a fish recipe the kids like!).
This is literally the VERY FIRST time I comment on a blog recipe. This is divine 😍
People complaining about it being too hard must not have used tapioca starch.
I added oregano to the batter and it’s to die for.
Much better than the gluten ones. Thanks for sharing.
This was SO easy and had a really great texture and crunch. I will add more seasonings next time, but there will FOR SURE be a next time!
Absolutely delicious! thank you
Had some tilapia fillets in the freezer and was craving fried fish. Am so happy I found this recipe! It was so delicious I’m considering using it again for some chicken tenders tomorrow!
I’ve tried several grain-free-frying batter recipes, and this one is by far the best I’ve had. My husband loved it, and we are thrilled to be able to do a fish fry again! We catch crappie in the lakes/tanks here in Texas, and they make the best fried fish. They hold together beautifully and have a light flavor similar to cod, but with a more delicate flake like tilapia. We had been baking them, but it wasn’t the same. Thanks again for this! Pure brilliance!
‘Cuisine: American‘ I think you need to change this given that fish and chips is a British national dish.
If I don’t have tapioca flour, can I use almond flour or just use extra coconut flour instead?
Thank you for your reply. I tried it with almond flour and it was so delicious! A 1/4 cup of coconut flour = 1 cup of almond flour (since coconut flour is more absorbent). So I used 1 cup of almond flour for this recipe and it turned out really well and very tasty! I’m going to try your original recipe in the next few days; sure it will be very tasty. Will Going to make shrimp with it! Will let you know my results in sure it’ll be great. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe!!!
Excellent!! Delicious on cod 😃
Can I use almond flour instead of coconut flour?? and what amount would be a suitable substitution?
Thanks in advance!
Thank you for this recipe too!