The crunchy and delicious keto fried fish recipe is made with 4 simple ingredients and can be fried, baked, or air fried.
The lemon and parsley almond flour crumbs can also be used on chicken tenders and breaded fish fingers.
The secret to making crispy fish fillet is using finely ground almond flour for the best keto breading for fish, with just 2 grams of net carbs per serving!
Amazing low-carb fried fish that's golden brown and one of those healthy recipes your entire family will love.
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Ingredients
For exact quantities and nutrition info, see the keto fried fish recipe card below.
I love the taste of crumbed fish, and using ground almonds and lemon zest is a beautiful, fresh, healthy, and tasty alternative to breadcrumbs. This "fried fish" is wheat-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, low-carb, and high in nutrition.
Plus, it's simple to make too! All you need are a few simple ingredients:
- Almond flour or meal - if you aren't able to find almond meal, you can use almond flour too. I find that I prefer a slightly more dense coating, so I typically go with almond meal, but in a pinch, almond flour works too.
- Lemon zest
- Parsley - I highly recommend you buy fresh parsley rather than dried. It makes a big difference!
- Fish fillets - see some suggestions in the FAQ section below.
Instructions
Let's get into how to make this yummy keto fried fish.
STEP 1: Make the herbed keto breading.
First, grab a medium bowl or shallow dish and mix together the almond meal, fresh lemon zest, and chopped fresh parsley.
STEP 2: Coat the fish fillets.
Next, grab your fish fillet. Push it into the almond mixture firmly, then turn it so all sides are coated evenly.
STEP 3: Cook keto fried fish.
How to cook fried fish in a frying pan
To make fried fish in a frying pan, electric skillet, or cast-iron skillet, pre-heat your pan with your chosen cooking oil. Allow the oil to heat for a minute or so before adding the fish.
I prefer to fry it in salted butter, but you can also use another hot oil.
Fry the fried fish over medium heat.
When your fish is fully cooked on the bottom (about 3 minutes over medium heat), turn it over and cook for another 3 minutes or so. You want your fish to be golden brown and crispy.
Note: if you decide to cook this with oil make sure to choose an oil that has a high smoke point. Avocado oil is a great option!
How to cook fried fish in an oven
To make keto fried fish in the oven, place each breaded piece of fish onto a lined baking sheet/cookie tray and bake at 180C/350F for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
Spray each piece with cooking oil spray.
How to cook fried fish in an air-fryer
- Instant Vortex - 6 in 1 air fryer with window
- Cuisinart - oven type air fryer and toaster oven
- Instant Vortex - DOUBLE air fryer 8 in 1, dehydrates and syncs cooking end times.
Instead of deep-frying in the deep-fryer, you can make keto fried fish.
Place each breaded fish onto the air fryer basket with a small space between each to allow even cooking. Spray each piece with cooking oil spray.
Cook at medium-high heat 180C/350F for 6-12 minutes. Place on paper towels to drain any excess fat.
How to remove excess oil from fried fish
Then, put it on a plate or cutting board lined with a paper towel to remove any excess oil. Serve and enjoy!
Storage
Before storing, allow your keto fried fish to cool down to room temperature while resting on a paper towel. This will allow all the extra grease to be removed so your breaded fish stays crisp.
Then place the fridge in an airtight container where it will stay good in the fridge for about 3 days.
Serving
One of the reasons I love this recipe so much is that there are a hundred ways to enjoy fried fish! Here are a few suggestions to try:
- Make fish tacos - Taco Tuesday has never been so tasty! Whip up a batch of guilt-free low-carb tortillas and add your favorite toppings.
- Dip it in a homemade tartar sauce - I recommend using this homemade mayo as the base. It's delicious and only takes one minute to make.
- Let it cool down and add it to a salad
- Serve alongside your favorite sides. There are so many options here! I love this fried fish with roasted broccoli and cauliflower mash. Yum!
Whatever you do with this fish, I highly recommend you add a squeeze of lemon juice to it before serving!
Best keto side dishes to serve with fish
There are so many delicious low-carb and keto side dishes to serve with fried fish. White fish is a versatile family-friendly dinner and so you need to choose quick and easy healthy side dishes the whole family will love.
Here are some of my favorite keto side dishes to serve with white fish, salmon, or any other seafood dinner.
Variations
- Try pecan flour instead of almond flour. I have to admit I haven't personally tried this, but several readers have and they say it's fantastic!
- Use different spices. There is a whole world of flavor out there! You can try to add in various spices such as garlic powder, smoked paprika, or anything else that catches your fancy.
- Make fish fingers or chicken nuggets instead. You can use the same breading mix on chicken to make chicken nuggets, or fish pieces to make fish fingers.
- Amp up the heat. Are you a fan of a spicy fish fry? Add some chili powder or cayenne pepper to the almond flour mix.
FAQs about keto fried fish
You want a firm white fish that doesn't fall apart once you add the batter and cook it. There are a lot of good choices here such as perch, tilapia, catfish, or Alaskan cod to name a few.
Typically fried meats and fried fish are dipped in a mix of beaten eggs, then into the batter mix before frying. However, I have found that fish tends to be different than chicken in the sense that it is generally moist enough for the coating to stick on by itself. You don't need a wet batter. If you find that isn't the case, by all means, add the egg step!
No. Coconut flour acts completely different from almond flour, so the two are not interchangeable. Read this article about coconut flour vs almond flour for more info about why this is.
If you want to try something besides almond meal, try another nut flour such as pecan flour.
Make sure you choose the right kind of fish to begin with. It should be a firm fish that is fresh.
When you are cooking it, try not to turn the fillet over until the bottom has fully cooked so it is firmer. Then use a large spatula to flip it over in one motion.
Extra flavors you can add to almond flour keto breading for fish are ground pork rinds, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.
📖 Recipe
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Keto fried Fish Recipe (Keto Breading Recipe)
Calculate ingredients
Ingredients
- 100 g (1 cup) almond meal/flour
- 2 tablespoon (2 tablespoon) lemon zest
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 5 fish fillets
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the ground almonds, lemon and parsley.
- Usually when I crumb chicken or beef, I dip in egg first, fish however is usually moist enough for the coating to stick by itself. Just push each fillet into the almond mixture, firmly pushing more coating on all sides.
- Fry on a moderate heat in plenty of butter for about 3 minutes on each side.
- Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
5-INGREDIENTS COOKBOOK
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COOKBOOKS - MEAL PLANS - PANTRY
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Approximate nutrition information is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. For the most accurate nutritional data, use the actual ingredients and brands you used in your preferred nutrition calculator.
Kate
Hi Libby,
I have made your low-carb chicken nuggets twice and they're great! Thank you for doing all the leg-work on that recipe! I baked those because I didn't want to lose the coating in the oil of pan-frying, turning them during the cooking so that they browned evenly.
I am guessing this is an older recipe, and you refer to not necessarily using egg. I was thinking your egg/oil mix would work great with fish to make a nice "fried" sensation, have you tried it?
Thanks in advance
Kate
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Hi Kate, thank you for such a lovely message. Yes, this is a super old recipe, I haven't shared it in years. And yes, the egg/oil mixture would be great for crumbing fish. I think I need to spend some time updating this one and adding your idea into the recipe.
Karin LeCates
Not seeing how many carbs are in this 🙁
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Some of my older recipes don't have them yet. i am ploughing through them one by one. For complete accuracy, i always advise you calculate your own with your own brands and type of fish chosen.
amerto
it's 4g
Brittney
I'm very new to working with fish that isn't salmon. I'm seriously a one-trick pony when it comes to that. What fish would one suggest to go with this? Cod? Pollock?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Cod would be lovely. But any fish really would benefit from the lemon and parsley crumb. I have even used this as a topping for baked salmon rather than coating the entire fillet.
djnikkik
Very nice and fresh recipe, paired it with tartare sauce made using the super simple homemade mayonnaise. Definitely going to try and make some low carb fish fingers with this for my very fussy son.
Sonia
I'm in love with this recipe. I've used it again today (second time in less than a week). <3
Thank you for your great ideas and recipes!
Brenda
Substitutes for almond flour? We have nut allergies here!
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
You could try the new seed flours that are available if you can tolerate sunflower or pumpkin seeds, otherwise ground linseed would work too.
Anna Funnell
Surprisingly yummy! I haven't tried anything like this before because I'm quite happy to eat my fish unbreaded, but I thought I'd try it with a view to trying it out on the rest of the family, and I think they might just go for it! I think it's the lemon flavour that gives it that little extra something. 🙂
Jan
I use ground pecan meal. It is good as well. Has a nutty taste that translates well with fish and chicken.
My husband actually now prefers the nuts to breadcrumbs.
Wendy
How do I prevent the fish from breaking and crumbling while cooking?
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Make sure you choose a firm fish and it is fresh. Sometimes mine falls apart,but because I put mine on top of a salad usually, it's ok. Try not to turn it until it is cooked underneath and a little bit firmer. Fish is tricky to do in the frying pan so you could also bake it in the oven on baking paper so there is no need to turn it. Hope these tips help.
Wendy
Great, thanks. I used Hoki but did turn it every few seconds as I was scared it would burn. Will try this recipe again as the family enjoyed the flavours.
MyKabulKitchen
I love sea-food, but am always hesitant about breading it because of calories and so forth, this looks like a more guilt-free treat that has a similar kick of the crispy fish I loved getting as a child from FishNChips vendors. The best thing about fish is how quickly it cooks! Great for week-nights, and I am sure this would work well for salmon or tilapia, thanks for sharing 🙂
Libby at ditchthecarbs.com
Absolutely guilt free. Using ground almonds in stead of breadcrumbs is so much healthier and tastier. Add any seasoning, herb, spice you want. I'm glad you enjoyed it.