Low-Carb Czech Christmas Fried Fish

This meal brings back some of the best childhood memories. Fried carp served with potato salad is the ultimate Czech holiday meal served on Christmas Eve. Carp is a freshwater fish found in ponds, rivers and lakes in Europe.

The original fried carp recipe is dated back to the 18th century and is attributed to Magdalena Dobromila Rettigova, also called the mother of Czech cuisine. There is nothing quite like carp but you may not be able to get it everywhere. I wasn't able to find it in the UK. If you can't get hold of carp, you can try cod, haddock or pollock instead. In this recipe I used cod.

Some stocks of cod and haddock are seriously overfished and you should always get them from sustainable sources. A good alternative to cod and haddock is pollock — check out this resource for more sustainable swaps.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Step-by-step

1. In a medium bowl, mix the almond flour and flax meal.

   

2. Pat dry the excess moisture from the fish with a clean kitchen cloth or paper towel. Season with salt, pepper and ground caraway on both sides.

   

3. Crack the egg into a bowl and beat with the cream (or almond milk or coconut milk), and a pinch of salt.

   

4. Dip the fish fillets or loins, one at a time, in the egg mixture, then in the almond & flax mixture. Gently shake off excess coating and set aside.

   

5. Heat a large pan greased with ghee or duck fat. Add the "breaded" fish and fry in a single layer on each side over a medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Make sure the pan is hot before frying the fish. Don't be tempted to turn the fish too soon or the "breading" may fall off.
   Cooking time depends on the thickness, i.e. thicker loins will take longer than fillets. If using loins, cook on medium-high for 2-3 minutes, then flip on the other side. Cook for 2 minutes on medium-high and then for 2-3 more minutes on medium-low.

   

6. Serve warm with Low-Carb "Potato" Salad. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

   

Recipe

Low-Carb Czech Christmas Fried Fish

★★★★★4.9 (62 ratings)

Fried carp is a traditional Czech Christmas Eve recipe. If you can't find carp, swap for cod, haddock or ...

Hands on

15m

Overall

20m

Servings

4

2.5 g

Net carbs

35 g

Protein

33.5 g

Fat

464

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings16 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes 4 servings

• 4 fillet loins of carp or cod or haddock from sustainable sources, ideally skinless (600 g/ 1.3 lb total, 150 g/ 5.3 oz each)
• ¹/₈ tsp ground caraway seeds
• sea salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream or coconut milk
• 1 cup almond flour (100 g/ 3.5 oz)
• 4 tbsp flax meal (28 g/ 1 oz)
• ¹/₄ cup ghee or duck fat (55 g/ 1.9 oz)

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, mix the almond flour and flax meal.

2. Pat dry the excess moisture from the fish with a clean kitchen cloth or paper towel. Season with salt, pepper and ground caraway on both sides.

3. Crack the egg into a bowl and beat with the cream (or almond milk or coconut milk), and a pinch of salt.

4. Dip the fish fillets or loins, one at a time, in the egg mixture, then in the almond & flax mixture. Gently shake off excess coating and set aside.

5. Heat a large pan greased with ghee or duck fat. Add the "breaded" fish and fry in a single layer on each side over a medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Make sure the pan is hot before frying the fish. Don't be tempted to turn the fish too soon or the "breading" may fall off.
   Cooking time depends on the thickness, i.e. thicker loins will take longer than fillets. If using loins, cook on medium-high for 2-3 minutes, then flip on the other side. Cook for 2 minutes on medium-high and then for 2-3 more minutes on medium-low.

6. Serve warm with Low-Carb "Potato" Salad. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Nutrition per serving

Carbs 2%Protein 31%Fat 67% of calories

Net carbs

2.5 g

Total carbs

6.9 g

Fiber

4.4 g

Sugars

1.4 g

Protein

35 g

Fat

33.5 g

Saturated fat

11 g

Calories

464 kcal

Sodium

396 mg · 17.2% RDA

Magnesium

146 mg · 36.5% RDA

Potassium

892 mg · 44.6% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per serving	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Fish, cod, Atlantic, raw	0 g	26.7 g	1 g	123
Caraway seeds, spices	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Salt, pink Himalayan rock salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Pepper, black, spices	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Egg, whole, fresh, raw (free-range or organic eggs)	0.1 g	1.6 g	1.2 g	18
Cream, heavy whipping, pouring, full-fat (30-40% fat)	0.1 g	0.1 g	1.4 g	14
Almond flour (blanched ground almonds, almond meal)	2.2 g	5.4 g	13.1 g	148
Flax meal (flaxmeal), ground flaxseed	0.1 g	1.3 g	3 g	37
Ghee	0 g	0 g	13.8 g	125
Total	2.5 g	35 g	33.5 g	464

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Nightshade free
• Pork free
• Coconut free
• Shellfish free