Paleo Fish Sticks

   I love fish....when it's battered and fried! I know, I know, that totally ruins how gosh-darned healthy fish it, but I can't help it! We do eat fish occasionally in a healthy way, and we used to a lot more when Caleb was younger (he's 10 now!), but over the years we'd stopped eating it on a regular basis. 
   Anywho, a while ago we went to a lovely restaurant in Belleville, "The Boathouse", and I ordered fish and chips (yummy!), anyway, the girls tasted it, and talked about it for days! Seriously! "Mom, remember that fish you had that you let me taste? That was really good, you should make it sometime" was the gist of what I heard. 
   I was happy to oblige since I do love it so much...but I wanted it to be a paleo version so that gluten-free Caleb could eat it, and also so that it wouldn't have to be for a treat day. 
   And that's that. Through serfing the web for different ideas/recipes, and experimenting, this perfect batter was born, and it made a seriously tasty fish. 

Paleo Fish Sticks

Ingredients:

• 2 cups coconut oil (for frying)
• 1/2 cup almond flour

• 3/4 cup tapioca or arrowroot flour 
• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk (unsweetened)
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup water
• juice of 1 lemon
• pinch salt
• pinch black pepper
• 2 lbs fish (we've used haddock, cod, and perch), cut into strips and patted dry with paper towel or newspaper
• A readied cooling rack with newspaper or paper towel on it to place the hot cooked fish to drain some off the grease 

Method: 

1. Heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a large saucepan
2. Stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl
3. In a separate bowl whisk together the wet ingredients, then add them to the dry ingredients and whisk to fully combine
4. Using your fingers and a fork, dip the fish into the batter and gently flip to coat
5. Using tongs, place carefully into hot oil (don't crowd your pan or the fish won't get nice and crispy)
6. After 2-3 minutes, flip over and cook another 2-3 minutes
7. Remove from hot oil and place onto prepared cooling rack
8. Repeat until all of the fish is done cooking!

   These fish sticks turn out soooo good! I even like them the next day cold. 
   Anywho, really, it would have been appropriate to post this fish recipe last Friday, a day in which a lot of people eat fish as a "fast" (from warm blooded meat), and to mark Good Friday, the day observed as the death of Jesus. 
   Last Friday we were in Brantford having a fish fry (a wonderful tradition that involves a big ol' deep fryer out on my sisters' front porch). We batter and fry fish, chicken, mushrooms, pickle spears, and this year we also battered and fried Oreo cookies, Reese Peanut Butter Cups, Mars, and Snickers. Oh, and fresh cut potatoes got a fry up too. Sound like a huuuuuge tummy ache? It was. It was a glorious tummy ache! :)   
   So, I'm signing off! I've got rehearsal (again.....) tonight, then am looking forward to a weekend with Adam home from work and whatever random last-minute plans he comes up with! This is a marital issue I am overcoming! I like to stay home, visit no-one, plan nothing. Adam loves to socialize and do things. So, on his days off I am mentally prepared for a, "Hey! Let's go to..." scenario. On the days he works I get to have my own time, quiet time, plan nothing time.  :) 
   Anyway, that was just a random annotation about my life!
   Have a great weekend!