I like baked fish, sautéed fish, and even fried fish although how many of us who are gluten-free often get to eat fried fish! This makes a very crunchy on the outside, flakey and moist on the inside. I find that spending a little more and buying the fresh fish produces a much tastier meal than using frozen fish which, I think, gets soggy when thawed out and cooked.
My husband, however, is convinced that the only way to eat fish is fried so I developed this recipe primarily for him. And he’ll eat more of this than probably anything else I make for him, other than desserts. For a normal family, this will serve 4; for my husband, this is 2 servings!
In a gallon freezer bag, mix:
- 1/2 cup gluten-free flour (Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 or your favorite all purpose works fine)
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, or other herbs to your taste (this always makes me remember Emeril telling his audience, “I don’t know where you buy your flour, but mine comes unseasoned”). I generally use about a teaspoon of each except less of the ground pepper.
Cut into serving sized pieces, trying to keep thicker and thinner pieces separated (TIP: so if you have a “normal” piece of haddock, one end is probably thinner than the other and one side is probably thicker than the other so you want to make sure the thicker pieces are cut together so that the fish will cook evenly).
- 1 pound of fresh haddock, sole, or other white fish, cut into serving size pieces
Add fish pieces to the freezer bag, close, and shake fish until covered in flour.
Mix in a shallow bowl:
- 1/2 cup gluten- free flour
- 1/4 cup cassava flour (this adds a lot of crunch to the batter)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc., to your taste
- 1/2 cup club soda, you may need more to get the batter to the proper consistency.
Whisk until blended. The batter should be the consistency of pancake batter, thin but not too runny.
Add oil to a 10-12 inch fry pan (or you can use an electric skillet where you can more easily control the temperature); oil should be 1 inch deep in the pan at a minimum. I always use a combination of avocado and olive oil.
Remove each piece of fish from the flour mixture and dip into the batter. When the oil is hot (350-375 degrees), add the thicker pieces first being sure to place them in the oil closest to you first and then ending with the piece of fish away from you. Cook on each side until golden brown (thicker pieces will take 3-5 minutes per side while the thinner pieces will only take 2-3 minutes per side). Remove to a paper towel to drain excess oil; salt and serve.
cookingwithoutallergens 