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Low-Carb Czech Christmas Fried Fish

★★★★★★★★★★
4.9 stars, average of 62 ratings

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Low-Carb Czech Christmas Fried FishPin itFollow us 148.4k

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!

Hands-on Overall

Allergy information for Low-Carb Czech Christmas Fried Fish

✔  Gluten free
✔  Dairy free
✔  Nightshade free
✔  Pork free
✔  Coconut free
✔  Shellfish free

Nutritional values (per serving)

Net carbs2.5 grams
Protein35 grams
Fat33.5 grams
Calories464 kcal
Calories from carbs 2%, protein 31%, fat 67%
Total carbs6.9 gramsFiber4.4 gramsSugars1.4 gramsSaturated fat11 gramsSodium396 mg(17% RDA)Magnesium146 mg(36% RDA)Potassium892 mg(45% EMR)

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. Low-Carb Czech Christmas Fried Fish
  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. Low-Carb Czech Christmas Fried Fish
  3. Crack the egg into a bowl and beat with the cream (or almond milk or coconut milk), and a pinch of salt. Low-Carb Czech Christmas Fried Fish
  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. Low-Carb Czech Christmas Fried Fish
  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. Low-Carb Czech Christmas Fried Fish
  6. Serve warm with Low-Carb "Potato" Salad. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Low-Carb Czech Christmas Fried Fish

Czech Fried Fish
Step by Step

★★★★★★★★★★
4.9 stars, average of 62 ratings
Czech Fried Fish
Fried carp is a traditional Czech Christmas Eve recipe. If you can't find carp, swap for cod, haddock or pollock instead. Fish lovers, give this one a go!
Hands on15m
Overall20m
Servings4
Calories464 kcal
Pin it

Ingredients

  • 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)

Calories464kcal
Net Carbs2.5g
Carbohydrates6.9g
Protein35g
Fat33.5g
Saturated Fat11g
Fiber4.4g
Sugar1.4g
Sodium396mg
Magnesium146mg
Potassium892mg

Detailed nutritional breakdown (per serving)

Net carbsProteinFatCalories
Total per serving
2.5 g35 g33.5 g464 kcal
Fish, cod, Atlantic, raw
0 g26.7 g1 g123 kcal
Caraway seeds, spices
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Salt, pink Himalayan rock salt
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Pepper, black, spices
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Almond flour (blanched ground almonds, almond meal)
2.2 g5.4 g13.1 g148 kcal
Flax meal (flaxmeal), ground flaxseed
0.1 g1.3 g3 g37 kcal
Ghee
0 g0 g13.8 g125 kcal
Egg, whole, fresh, raw (free-range or organic eggs)
0.1 g1.6 g1.2 g18 kcal
Cream, heavy whipping, pouring, full-fat (30-40% fat)
0.1 g0.1 g1.4 g14 kcal

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Martina Slajerova
Creator of KetoDietApp.com

Martina Slajerova

I changed the way I ate in 2011, when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid. I had no energy, and I found it more and more difficult to maintain a healthy weight.

That’s when I decided to quit sugar, grains, and processed foods, and to start following a whole-foods-based ketogenic approach to food.

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Comments (8)

Thank you so much for this recipe..it reminded my childhood too:I'm from Belarus and we used to be sister-countries some time ago..поздравляю с наступающим новым годом и рождеством(hope you know the language 😊

Thank you for your lovely feedback and wishes! I do! I can speak Russian which is similar - in this case the same 😊

Can I use butter instead of ghee or duck fat? Thanks.

I would use ghee (clarified butter) instead, butter would burn: How to Make Ghee at Home

Hello!!! I am currently making this recipe and noticed that egg and cream? seem to be part of the recipe but are not on the list of ingredients- I used 1 egg and heavy cream but was wondering if there was anything else not in the list, such as spices?? Thank you for this website and the recipes! They are fantastic and I use your app and/or recipes every day 😊

Thank you for noticing, you're right - let me fix it now! It was just the egg and cream 😊

A fellow Czech! We just celebrated our Christmas a little earlier this year and it was the first time we didn't have our traditional fare on the table :-(
I think with all our Australian partners complaining that there's no Ham and Prawns finally won over.. seeing your recipe here was fabulous.I've only been on Keto for about 6 months but was fully planning on cheating come Xmas, now I might just have to make it for myself and indulge on it for a few days! Thank you!
Veselé  Vánoce. 😊

Vesele Vanove Petro, dekuji! 😊