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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
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
- In a medium bowl, mix the almond flour and flax meal.
- 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.
- Crack the egg into a bowl and beat with the cream (or almond milk or coconut milk), and a pinch of salt.
- 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.
- 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.
- Serve warm with Low-Carb "Potato" Salad. Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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
- In a medium bowl, mix the almond flour and flax meal.
- 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.
- Crack the egg into a bowl and beat with the cream (or almond milk or coconut milk), and a pinch of salt.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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)
| Total per serving |
| 2.5 g | 35 g | 33.5 g | 464 kcal |
| Fish, cod, Atlantic, raw |
| 0 g | 26.7 g | 1 g | 123 kcal |
| Caraway seeds, spices |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Salt, pink Himalayan rock salt |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Pepper, black, spices |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Almond flour (blanched ground almonds, almond meal) |
| 2.2 g | 5.4 g | 13.1 g | 148 kcal |
| Flax meal (flaxmeal), ground flaxseed |
| 0.1 g | 1.3 g | 3 g | 37 kcal |
| Ghee |
| 0 g | 0 g | 13.8 g | 125 kcal |
| Egg, whole, fresh, raw (free-range or organic eggs) |
| 0.1 g | 1.6 g | 1.2 g | 18 kcal |
| Cream, heavy whipping, pouring, full-fat (30-40% fat) |
| 0.1 g | 0.1 g | 1.4 g | 14 kcal |
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