Chickens don’t have fingers, but chicken fingers are a thing. Fish have even fewer fingers than chickens do, but I’m still making fish fingers nonetheless. This is basically my version of fish sticks. Sadly, the one kid who used to love fish sticks didn’t like this at all, but he loved the coleslaw. And my kid who can go either way on fish ate hers in record time, but she didn’t have anything more than a bite of the coleslaw. I can never really predict them. Either way, this meal made one thing that either kid would eat, which I consider a small victory.
There are three parts to this recipe. Besides the fish fingers and the coleslaw, there’s also a great version of tartar sauce that doesn’t have that nasty (and high in carbs) sweet pickle relish. It instead uses capers and dill, giving it a nice salty and creamy contrast to the fish. Between that and the coleslaw, it’s almost like being at a fish fry. This would be a great recipe for Lent, if you observe it.
Start with the coleslaw, because some time to chill in the fridge is good for the flavor. You’ll want a one-pound bag of shredded coleslaw mix, ideally just cabbage with a little bit of carrots. If you’re concerned about the carbs from carrots, a lot of places do an angel hair slaw that’s just cabbage. Put that in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together 3/4 cup of avocado oil mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons of Sukrin Gold Fiber Syrup or a similar liquid honey substitute, a teaspoon of salt, a half teaspoon of celery seed, and as much black pepper as you want. Pour that over the coleslaw mix and toss it around to coat, then stick it in the fridge until it’s time to serve.
The fish fingers start with my standard breading base for fried foods. A half cup of grated parmesan cheese (I love the Cello organic shelf-stable version that they sell at Costco), and a half cup of pork rind crumbs. Put it on a large plate, then just add a teaspoon of dried parsley and a teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning, and stir it around until it’s all mixed up. Easy peasy. Beat an egg in a small bowl and set that and the plate of crumbs right next to your cooktop, so when you’re ready to bread the fish, you can put it right in the oil.
After that, get your fish ready. If you want, you can skip this step and fry the fish whole, but I like when it’s finger food. I use tilapia for this, because it easily cuts down the middle for fingers. You can use any plain, flat, mild-tasting white fish. Flounder or catfish would work just fine. Start with a pound of fish and cut it into strips the size of chicken fingers. If you’re using tilapia, there will normally be a thicker half of the fish. Put the thicker parts together and the thinner parts together. You’re going to want to do these in two batches, and they’ll cook more evenly that way.
Heat up 6 tablespoons of avocado oil to medium-high in an enameled cast iron skillet. I use that type of skillet for frying because it never sticks, but it gets a deeper browning and crispier breading than a non-stick skillet will. Once the oil is hot, dip a piece of fish in the egg, coat it evenly with the crumb mixture, then place it gently into the hot oil. Repeat with half the fish fingers, making sure to keep them a similar size and thickness throughout. Fry for about 3-4 minutes, until it’s golden brown. Turn it gently with tongs and fry the other side for 3-4 minutes as well. Remove them from the pan and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil.
While the fish is cooking, whip together the tartar sauce. All you need is 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, a tablespoon of capers with a little brine, 1/4 teaspoon of dried dill or 1 teaspoon of fresh, and a couple of grinds of white pepper. Serve a little over a tablespoon of it on the side for dipping, and enjoy your kid-friendly fish fry!
Fish Fingers with Coleslaw and Caper-Dill Tartar Sauce
With these fish fingers, low-carb coleslaw, and caper-dill tartar sauce, you'll have everything you need for a keto fish fry!
In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients until the mayonnaise is no longer lumpy. Pour the dressing over the coleslaw mix, toss to coat, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Macros per serving (6 servings total): 229 calories, 3 grams net carbs, 1 gram protein, 24 grams fat.
For the Fish Fingers
Cut the fish into strips and sort into two groups according to thickness.
On a large plate, mix together the pork rind crumbs, parmesan, parsley, Old Bay, and pepper and toss with a fork. Beat the egg in a small bowl. Place both of those next to your stovetop.
Heat the avocado oil in an enameled cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, dip a fish finger into the egg, then roll it in the crumbs until it's well-coated. Place carefully into the oil and repeat with the remaining fish fingers in that size group.
Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until you can see the golden brown on the bottom of the fish pieces. Turn them carefully with tongs and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan and place them on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat these steps with the remaining fish.
Macros per serving (4 servings total): 362 calories, 0 grams net carbs, 30 grams protein, 27 grams fat.
For the Tartar Sauce
Combine all ingredients in a small ramekin. Split evenly between the finished plates to serve as a dipping sauce, or serve directly on the fish.
Macros per serving (4 servings total): 101 calories, 0 grams net carbs, 0 grams protein, 12 grams fat.
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This is one of those moments where I’m going to go full food blog and tell a story. If you’re not here for this, feel free to click that “Jump to Recipe” button, and I promise I won’t be offended.
My name, as you might have surmised, is not Kimberly. Back when I was 18 years old, I lived in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for several months. I ended up working at a small and long since closed cafe called Wild Clover. I owe a lot to that job. I was kind of a messed up kid, and the owner, Kimberly, took me under her wing. I was a bit of a project for her. Eventually, thanks to her guidance, I ended up back in Ohio, and now I have a really good life. So I owe her a lot, and the least I can do is make sure she gets credit for this recipe, because I used to eat way too much of it while I was working there.
That cafe’s gimmick was that all the meals were low-fat, and she did a damned good job of it. She sourced her bread for her sandwiches locally, and it was freaking delicious. She made her own salad dressings, soups, everything. There was also a coffee bar and she sold natural supplements, too. It was very 90s. Obviously, I’m not restrained by having to stick to low-fat. Quite the opposite, in fact. So recreating this shrimp salad wasn’t at all difficult. It’s just a few ingredients, and you can serve it over greens, or do what I did and make a wrap out of it with a NuCo coconut wrap. If you do dirty keto, there are plenty of low-carb wraps available as well, like these tortillas with 5 net carbs per piece, or this pita bread with 4 net carbs per piece. The best part is that this is still pretty low in calories, even with the full-fat mayonnaise, so it’s perfect for the 1200 is plenty crowd.
To start the shrimp salad, get yourself a pound of cooked shrimp, tail off. You don’t need huge shrimp for this. Go cheaper and get the smaller size, because they’re easier to eat. Just don’t get those tiny salad shrimp, because the other ingredients will overwhelm them. Put the shrimp in a bowl. Add a half cup of chopped celery, a half cup of chopped red onion, and ten queen sized or 15 regular sized pimiento stuffed olives, sliced in half lengthwise. Then stir in 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise (I like avocado oil mayonnaise for clean eating purposes) and several grinds of white pepper, and you have Kimberly’s shrimp salad, or at least the best approximation I can make given my 25-year gap in memory.
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