crumbed mackerel with roast veg and kale chips
These crumbed mackerel fillets are delicious and crispy. They are gluten and dairy free, and you can easily adapt them with any fish of your choosing.
If you season the mackerel with salt and crumb it this way, the kids will love it and so will you, as you’re getting some very healthy omega-3 fatty acids into their diet with no complaints! Great for skin and brain health and anti-inflammatory to ward off allergies and infections.
If there are protests to the taste or texture of slimy mackerel (or even the name – maybe don’t tell them!), you can use any white fleshed fish. This is true if there is an intolerance to amines.
To avoid mercury, remember to try and buy smaller fish, as they contain less mercury (too much tuna, shark/flake or swordfish can lead to heavy metal toxicity). All fish contain mercury, but the big fish eat the little fish, so they get a lot more.
For sustainability, also try for wild-caught and Australian, where possible, although if you’re buying salmon, Tasmanian brand, Huon, is a good farmed brand with no antibiotics or hormones.
Serve with some oven roasted potato and sweet potato, cut into wedges, and some crunchy kale chips.
Ingredients
gluten free, dairy free
crispy crumbs can be gluten free too!
4 slimy mackerel (ask your fish monger to fillet them so you have 2 pieces from each fish. when you get home, you’ll need to cut out the bones – they run down the middle of each fillet – so just slice out a 2mm strip from the middle and now you have 4 small pieces for each fish. your fishmonger might do that all for you, if you’re lucky)
1/2 cup rice flour (or other gluten free flour)
1 egg, beaten with a little rice milk (or whatever milk you can tolerate / is in your fridge)
1/2 tsp sea salt – mixed into egg
1 cup 100% rice crumbs
1/2 cup olive oil (not extra virgin)/ rice bran oil – both have a high smoke point of 180C (olive) and 220C (rice bran) but olive oil is more nutritious.
Method
Toss each half-fillet into flour and dust off excess
Dip in egg and fully coat
Roll in rice crumbs and press down on all sides so crumbs stick to fish
Lay pieces out on a plate and place in fridge for at least half an hour.
Next, warm your oil up in a heavy stainless steel fry pan on medium heat.
Don’t overcrowd the pan, but lay fillets carefully in hot oil and fry for a couple of minutes until starting to brown, turn over and brown on other side.
Should be cooked in under 5 minutes. Check by cutting one open and flesh should flake apart and not be wet at all.
Serve with some roasted vegetables (wedges of potato and sweet potato work well) and some fresh salad greens or kale chips.