Julie Clark
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Paleo Battered Fish
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Make this crispy, Paleo Battered Fish for a healthy, 30-minute meal that kids will love!
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 little ground beef comfort zone today and show how quickly a paleo battered fish dinner can come together.
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.
Alaskan seafood is high in protein, low in sodium and saturated fat, and full of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. It comes from a natural environment which produces lean flesh and firm texture, with a delicious flavor. I chose cod for this battered fish, but Alaskan seafood also includes salmon, shellfish and whitefish and can be purchased fresh, frozen or even canned.
I was more than excited to share about Alaskan seafood in this battered fish recipe, which is one of my favorite comfort foods. I made this version paleo 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.
Don’t be scared off at the thought of making a fish dinner. 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.
1. Mix up the batter, which is simply ¾ cup tapioca starch, ¼ cup coconut flour, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 2 eggs and ¼ cup 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.
2. Get ½ a cup of olive oil heating over medium-heat on the stove so that when you add the fish it sizzles immediately.
3. The 5 Alaskan cod fillets 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.
4. Coat the fish in the batter and place them carefully in the hot oil. 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. (Make sure you have paper towels under the rack to catch the drips.)
It’s also important to not cook the fish to 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.
I hope your family will enjoy this paleo battered fish as much as we did!
Q: Do you get stuck in the ground beef and chicken ruts?
Q: What’s your favorite type of Alaskan seafood?
Paleo Battered Fish
Make this crispy, Paleo Battered Fish for a healthy, 30-minute meal that kids will love! Gluten Free, Grain Free, Sugar Free and Whole30.
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
- 24 ounces Alaskan cod fillets
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the tapioca starch, coconut flour, seasonings, eggs and water.
- Heat ½ cup of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Cut the cod fillets in half diagonally (if they are too big and you'd like smaller pieces). Use a paper towel to gently dry the cod fillets.
- Once the oil is hot, coat the cod fillets with the batter 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.
- Once the fillets are done, use a spatula to remove them from the oil and place them on wire rack so that they stay crispy. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 201g | Calories: 338kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 13g
Find more paleo recipes here.
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!
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.