I love deep fried fish, especially cod, but I haven’t had it in over three years. After a week or so on the East Coast and passing up several opportunities for fish and chips, I finally decided I needed to do something about it. So, I adapted a tempura recipe to low carb flours and gave it a whirl. The oil needs to be hot enough to fry quickly but not so fast that the food doesn’t get cooked. If it’s too cool, the tempura batter won’t stay on the vegetables while they’re cooking. But it’s easy enough to make the batter and it’s worth the effort for the wonderful meal. If you don’t like my vegetable selection, then substitute in your favorites, like cauliflower, broccoli, or asparagus. Just try to stick to the lower carb options.

For gluten free, I would try replacing the CarbQuick with rice flour. You don’t need to use the coconut flour if you would prefer all rice flour. But rice flour is extremely high in carbohydrates, 123 net carbs in 1 serving. You could try all coconut flour or a combination of coconut flour and almond flour. If you use more coconut flour, use about 6 tablespoons and two eggs. It absorbs liquid, so you will probably have to add additional ice water.

Tempura Cod and Vegetables

Tempura
1/4 cup CarbQuick Baking Mix
2 tablespoons oconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/3 cup ice water
Oil for deep frying

Fish and Vegetables
3 1/4 lb pieces of cod cut into three chunks each
1/2 cup zuchinni, cut into large cubes
1/2 cup kohlrabi, sliced into 1/4″ slices
1/2 cup Acorn squash, cut into 1″ pieces
12 cleaned fresh green beans

Wash fish off and cut into chunks. Cut all the vegetables into 1″ to 1 1/2″ chunks. Mix the tempura batter. Add ice water until it has a thick, but not too thick consistency. It needs to stick to the food, but not make too thick a coating. When using coconut flour, it will absorb liquid, so it will use at least double and possibly three times as much water as the recipe calls for.

Pour oil to about 1 1/2 inch deep in a deep skillet (I use cast iron) and heat to 375 degrees, or until a bit of batter sizzles and browns quickly. Lower the heat slightly. Try to keep an even heat.

Dip about six vegetables in the tempura batter, then place gently in the oil to fry. It will take just a few minutes for them to brown on one side. Turn with a slotted spatula and brown on the other side. Remove to a paper towel covered plate to cool. Continue to cook vegetables, about six to a batch. You can keep the drained vegetables warm in a 225 degree oven on a baking tin. Fry the chunks of fish last. They will take about 3 to 5 minutes a side, depending on thickness. Check to be sure the fish is cooked all the way through.

Serve as soon as possible. You can sprinkle with rice vinegar or any favorite flavor of sauce you like. Left over vegetables and fish don’t reheat very well, but you can put them on a baking sheet and warm them in the oven for about 10 minutes at 300 degrees.

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 568.5 Fat: 46.7 g Net Carbs: 8.8 g Protein: 46.2 g

Posted on 6/3/2013