This Paleo Fish and Chips has a shatteringly crisp batter that’s perfect dipped into a homemade tartar sauce – pair it all with home fries and you have some serious comfort food made completely gluten free!
Fish and chips has always been one of my most favorite things. And while I know I say so many things are my favorites, fish and chips is right up there with my #1 – pizza!
Every single vacation we’ve ever taken near the sea has always involved fish and chips. In fact I view finding the best ocean side fish and chips as an adventure worthy of a day unto itself. And so of course all of my ocean vacation memories involve this favorite.
Tyler has been beyond patient with this little habit of mine since he’s not all the fond of seafood. (I mean I’ve even gone as far as paying for a boat ride out to a spot recommended by a local for the best fish and chips that was floating out in the ocean.) In fact he prefers not to eat seafood at all. But over the years all my fish and chips adventures have rubbed off on him.
I think his first experience with this delightful classic was on Vancouver Island at a little place called Red Fish Blue Fish. This small but awesome place is basically a C-can/shipping container turned mini restaurant. It’s down on the wharf, and they have fish and chips that still occupy my daydreams even years later!
It was here I first convinced him to try fish and chips. I say convinced, but it was mostly due to the fact they don’t have a single item on their menu that’s not seafood. I’m happy to say he more than polished off his portion, and now every once in a while he eats seafood with me!
Let’s talk about tips for this Paleo Fish and Chips!
Tip #1: To make the crispiest oven fries, you need to give them a bit of space. You can see I was a little overzealous with how many fries I thought I could fit in a pan, and a few of them didn’t brown as well as the others.
Tips for frying fish:
- Make sure everything is well ventilated, from the fan running on high to cracking open a window. I make it a principle not to fry things at home if I can. But it’s hard to find a good gluten free fish and chips where we live. So it’s one thing I definitely make an exception for!
- Try burning a candle during and after frying fish inside, it really helps with any lingering smell.
- And finally, keep the heat on medium. You don’t want the oil too hot as it will burn the coating without cooking the fish.
Like I mentioned above, normally I have a pretty strict policy about frying things at home. It’s a little messy and just not my favorite thing. However that being said, sometimes a girl just needs fish and chips!
Notes about flavor:
- I really upped the flavor in my tartar sauce compared to the classic. I often find tartar sauce to be bland, so I made mine with an extra punch capers and pickles.
- The turmeric called for in the batter is so little there’s no flavor. It’s there to give the crispy coating the most lovely golden glow. However the fresh dill called for is completely optional. The first time I had fish and chips with fresh dill in the batter. And I’m afraid to say I was a little outraged. I mean why would they go and ruin it like that. But over time I ran into the combination more and more, and now I like it – go figure!
I sure hope you’ll enjoy this classic as much as we have! If you do make this, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below. And I always love hearing from you here. Or over on Instagram where you can tag me at #getinspiredeveryday with your photos.
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Paleo Fish and Chips
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
The beloved classic made both gluten free and paleo!
Ingredients
Oven Fries:
2 pounds russet potatoes, cut into 1/2–3/4” fries, peeling is optional
2 Tablespoons avocado oil
1/2 Teaspoon each sea salt and black pepper
Tartar Sauce:
1 cup avocado mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon pickle juice
1/3 cup minced dill pickle
2 Tablespoons capers, drained, then minced
1 Tablespoon stoneground mustard
1/2 Teaspoon black pepper
1–2 Teaspoons chopped fresh dill, to taste
Fish:
1 pound white fleshed fish, cut into 2“x 4-5” strips, cod or halibut are my favorites
1 cup avocado oil, for pan frying
Batter:
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 Teaspoon dried granulated onion
1/2 Teaspoon sea salt
1/4 Teaspoon baking soda
1/4 Teaspoon ground turmeric
Optional: 1-2 Teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1 egg
1–2 Tablespoons plain kombucha, or sparkling water
Instructions
Start by preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Toss the cut fries with the avocado oil, sea salt and black pepper to coat. Evenly space out the fries over the 2 baking sheets.
Mix together everything for the tartar sauce, and set it aside in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat.
Cut up the fish and pat it dry with paper towels. Next start making the batter by mixing together the tapioca starch, granulated onion, sea salt, baking soda, turmeric, and optional dill.
Place the prepped fries into the oven, one pan on the lower rack and one on the upper. Cook for about 20 minutes, turn over the fries, switch the pans, and cook for another 20 minutes. Use the broiler if necessary to brown the fries at the end of the cooking time.
While the fries are cooking, add the avocado oil to a 9″ cast iron skillet and heat over medium high heat until the oil is shimmering, but not smoking.
While the oil heats, add the egg and 1 tablespoon kombucha to the prepped batter, mixing to form a batter. Add the 2nd tablespoon of kombucha only if the batter is still too stiff. The tapioca will resist being mixed, but be patient, it will come together.
Dip 1 piece of fish at a time into the batter, evenly coating both sides. Carefully place the pieces of fish into a skillet 1 at a time until the skillet is full. Fry the fish over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes per side, or until golden brown on each side and done in the center.
Use a slotted metal spatula to turn the fish and remove it from the pan. Continue to fry the fish until all the pieces are cooked, keeping the already done pieces warm in an oven at 200ºF after the fries are done.
When the fish is done, serve with the oven fries and tartar sauce or ketchup.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: British
I’ve made this twice and learned a lot. It was delicious and crispy the first time- it was restaurant quality! I made some mistakes the second time that left me disappointed. Go for the cheaper cod filets instead of loins. Try not to add the extra tablespoon of kumbacha as the batter won’t crisp as much. This is my go to recipe now!
I came back to reply that we dipped shrimp in the leftover batter and it was delicious!
That sounds so delicious, thanks so much for the suggestion!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! And thanks so much for the tips as well, I really appreciate it!
Oh my goodness! I haven’t had a good fish fry in many years but I have craved it almost every Friday night during that time. I wish I would have found this sooner. I can’t believe how it just melted in our mouths! We did use arrowroot powder and coconut oil instead of tapioca and avocado oil just because that’s what we had. Everything was fantastic! Only complaint is that there definitely wasn’t enough fish for 6 people. Our family of 4 made that disappear. We will be doubling the fish and batter ingredients next time. 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed this, and I can definitely see doubling it for a family appetite!
We made this tonight but used arrowroot flour instead of tapioca! Sooo delicious! The kids loved every bite. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes.
So glad to hear you all enjoyed it, and it’s always the best compliment to hear the kids loved it!
These fish and chips are better than restaurants are. My husband loves them. I accidentally made them without the egg and sparkling water and now make them this way.
I’m so glad to hear you’ve both been enjoying them! Also thanks so much for taking the time to write and say you’ve made them without the egg and sparkling water because I know it will help someone else!
Batter was great and so crispy and brown. Used Talapia and also made the tartar sauce. Thanks fir a healthy “ fried” fish meal!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! There’s just something about fish and chips and so I really wanted to be able to share a healthier version others would love too, so it makes my day to hear you like this one!
So yummy!!
Will make this again.
I used my convection oven for the chips which worked great!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! I have a convection oven now, so I definitely need to try it out the next time I make these!
Can the batter be made in advanced and kept in the fridge for when needed?
I’ve never tried refrigerating it ahead of time, so I don’t know if it would work. The kombucha does add a bit of fizz to the batter which would disappear over time and maybe make for a heavier batter.
This was literally the first time in my life I’ve successfully made fish and chips! I used club soda and it worked perfectly. The avocado oil made the batter soooo light and crispy, not heavy or greasy in the least. I used my cast iron pan and it did cook faster than the recipe suggested but the fish wasn’t overly thick so that may be why. Just watch it carefully and you’ll have no problems. Thanks for a fabulous paleo recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it, and yes I think if your fish was thinner, that’s why it would cook faster!
The batter on the fish was incredible!!! As crispy as it is in the picture. Really, really good recipe. Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂