This keto fried fish is pan fried to a golden brown crispy crust made with almond flour and a few simple seasonings. The homemade spicy keto tartar sauce has plenty of flavor to compliment the fish.
Why this recipe is just so good....
- According to Healthline, tilapia is an inexpensive, low calorie, flakey white fish that is rich in vitamins and minerals.
- What I love about this fish is that is very mild flavored. So the spicy tartar sauce is a perfect dipping sauce for tilapia.
- If you love a crispy crust on your pan fried fish, coating it in seasoned flour and frying in a mild flavored oil is the way to go. We are keeping this recipe low carb/keto friendly and are using a combination of a little bit of almond and coconut flour. Honestly you cannot tell it wasn't all purpose flour when the fish is fried.
- Some other delicious keto fish recipes to try are Grilled Swordfish and Air Fryer Tuna. They are both so flavorful and very easy to make.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- The white fish we are using for this recipe are Tilapia fillets that were frozen and defrosted in the refrigerator about 8 hours.
- In keeping the recipe keto, the fish is coated in almond and coconut flour. You can substitute chickpea flour if you want. It is commonly used for frying fish and is gluten free.
- Only a few simple seasonings are needed such as Old Bay, salt and pepper. You can use any of your favorite spices. Try some dill, lemon pepper, crushed red pepper, onion, paprika or garlic.
- Use a mild tasting, high smoke point oil to fry the fish such as canola, avocado, olive or vegetable.
Keto Spicy Tartar Sauce & Substitutions
- To make the spicy tartar sauce, combine the relish, mayo, lemon juice, chili sauce, horseradish, mustard and seasonings. If you would like it more or less spicy, adjust the chili sauce to your liking. Refrigerate until ready to use.
We love spicy tartar sauce with fried fish but some other sauces to try are lemon cream, parsley, ketchup, herb, almond romesco, mint, tomato ginger or sweet and sour. All recipes for the different sauces can be found on Food and Wine.
Step by Step Directions
- Combine the seasonings, almond and coconut flour.
- Dry the fish fillets with paper towel and press both sides of the fish into the flour mixture. Cover completely and lightly shake off the extra flour.
- Heat a cast iron or other large heavy pan over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes. Pour oil into pan and while holding the handle, gently tilt pan a little bit to coat the bottom of pan.
- Add the floured fish to the pan and don't move it for at least 2 minutes.
- Gently slide a metal spatula under a fillet and test if it is loosening from the pan. If still stuck to the bottom, let it cook another 30 seconds or so. If the pan is smoking, lower the heat a little. Flip the fish and let that side cook 2 minutes or until golden brown.
FAQ & Cooking Tips
White fish is usually recommended for frying because they have a mild flavor, thin fillets and cook quickly. Tilapia, flounder, haddock, catfish and cod are some examples of different types of fish that would be good choices. Tuna, salmon and sea bass are not recommended since they are a much thicker cut of fish and too oily to fry.
Make sure the fillets are dry. Completely coat them with flour, but shake off the excess. The pan should be hot before you drizzle in the oil. Don't crowd the pan or overlap the fish. The bottom of each fillet should be touching the hot oil in the pan.
Don't move the fish for at least 2 minutes. Give the fillets a chance to brown before flipping.
Drain the fried fish on a paper towel lined plate and serve right away.
According to Fresh from the Freezer, it is safer to fry fish that has been defrosted and is completely dry. The water droplets from frozen fish will cause the oil to spatter and could be dangerous. The website has a list of different ways to safely defrost fish.
Here are some other seafood recipes you may want to try:
If you tried this recipe and enjoyed it, I'd love if you came back and gave it a 5 star rating. This tells me what you like and want to see more of. Thank you!
Print
Keto Fried Fish w/Spicy Tartar Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
This keto fried fish is pan fried to a golden brown crispy crust made with almond flour and a few simple seasonings. The homemade spicy keto tartar sauce has plenty of flavor to compliment the fish.
Ingredients
Tartar Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup unsweetened pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon horseradish
- 1 teaspoon garlic or regular chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon tarragon or dill, optional
Fish Fillets
- 2 large Tilapia fillets (about 6 oz. each) *
- ½ cup fine almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning *
- ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons oil (olive, canola, vegetable or avocado)
Instructions
Tartar Sauce
- Combine all sauce ingredients. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- Store in refrigerator until needed.
Fish Fillets
- Stir the flours and seasonings in a shallow bowl.
- Heat a cast iron or heavy pan over medium high heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Dry the fillets with paper towel. Dip the fish in the flour mixture and press down to coat. Shake off the extra flour.
- Pour the oil in pan and hold the handle to gently swirl the oil around the pan.
- Place fillets in hot oil and don't overlap the fish. Don't move them around yet, let them fry for 2 minutes.
- Gently slide a metal spatula under the fish and if it has loosened from pan, flip it over. If still a bit stuck on the bottom, let fry another 30 seconds or so and then flip.
- Cook the other side for 2 more minutes. If the oil is smoking, turn down the heat.
- Remove fillets to paper towel lined plate. Serve immediately with tartar sauce and lemon slices.
Notes
*If frozen, defrost fish fillets in refrigerator. Make sure fish is dry before putting in hot oil.
*You can substitute Old Bay with ¼ teaspoon each of paprika, celery seed, garlic and onion powder.
*If you prefer, you can use other white fish such as flounder, cod, halibut, sole, haddock. Make sure the fillets are thin so that they will be crispy when fried.
*Make sure to shake off the extra flour. Too much will flour will make the fish's coating very mushy.
*To reheat any leftovers, place on a cookie sheet in heat in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes. Or reheat in a frying pan with just a bit of oil. It's not recommended to use a microwave to reheat. The coating will be soft and mushy.
*The nutrition is calculated for 1 tablespoon of tartar sauce per serving. There will be leftover sauce. Use it on a sandwich, serve with raw or cooked vegetables. Or make make another meal with fish. The sauce will keep up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Lynn says
Had to sub for the oldbay but fish was delicious.
Deb Belsha says
Thank you!
Meg says
Looks delish!