Cashew-Coconut Fish Bites [Dairy free, Gluten free, Grain free, Sugar free]

 

An easy and simple recipe with an amazing end result!  Adapting a recipe of my mums' where she coated her fish bites or often fish fingers with chickpea flour and ground peanuts was pretty easy with the nuts and seed options available on a dairy, gluten, grain and sugar free diet.  The choice of cashew nuts and desiccated coconut was a good one, with the processing of both to a flour consistency, producing a nutty and crisp tasting coating. Coupled with the spices and egg mix - which you may adjust to your own taste - but I strongly recommend that you keep the white pepper, as this provided a delectable delicate balance to the crisp coating and the delicate yet firm and flavoursome Kingklip. I deliberately left out crushed garlic, which worked brilliantly and was not missed!

A definite remake of this dish, maybe with chicken instead of this fish, is worth second, third, forth and many more makes.  Also, fish fingers (where the fish is sliced into longer "fish finger" shaped strips), just like my mum used to make, will be a definite winner with these coating ingredients! 

I served these lip-smacking fish bites on a thickened reduction of spicy butternut and sweet potato with a crisp, fresh and tangy salad.

 

Ingredients

500g kingklip or any fresh firm white fish fillets

1 egg
1 tblsp freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
½ tsp salt
½ tsp crushed fresh green or dry red chillies or chilli flakes (optional) 
½ tsp white pepper
¼ cup tapioca flour or arrow root powder
1 cup desiccated or flaked coconut
½ cup raw cashew nuts
2 tbslp coconut oil, ghee or olive oil to shallow fry

Here's How

• Slice fish fillets into cubes.

• Mix the egg, lemon juice, salt, chilli and white pepper well together.

 

• Process coconut and cashew nuts together in a blender or food processor until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

 

• Toss fish pieces in the tapioca flour or arrow root powder until well coated.

• Dip into the egg mixture.
• Lightly coat with cashew - coconut mixture.

• Refrigerate until ready to fry.
• Fry on low heat, a few pieces at a time, until golden brown and fish cubes flake easily when tested with fork.

• Garnish if desired, and serve with accompaniments as desired.