A crispy, crumbed fish with a creamy garlic lime aioli that is quick to make and kid-approved. Get a beautiful, crispy coating on your fish every time with this simple keto, gluten-free recipe.
Crumbed, crispy fish is a family favorite in our household because it gets everyone eating fish, comes together in less than 30 minutes, and tastes like the real thing! My healthy ‘breading’ is made from almond meal and parmesan for the perfect golden, nutty, cheesy coating that will give you that beautiful, crispy finish.
Ditch the tartar sauce and pair it with my Garlic Lime Aioli for the perfect zesty bite! By the way, if you have any leftover garlic aioli, it is delicious over a salad, with chicken or on low-carb fish tacos.
I used to crumb fish separately for my kids with breadcrumbs and flour, while my husband and I would have a low-carb version. No longer!
It has taken a bit of trial and error to perfect this recipe. It’s not easy to replicate that crispy, crunch that bread provides. I enjoy this keto diet version just as much as the breadcrumb recipe. Who needs all that bread anyway?
If you want to prepare ahead of time, you can crumb the fish and keep it in the fridge for several hours before cooking. This can help the crumb mixture stick to the fish. Look at the beautiful crispy coating on that fish!
My other favorite low-carb fish recipe is Salmon with Avocado Jalapeno Salsa. This is another family favorite and you won’t believe how quick it is to make.
HOW DO I MAKE A LOW CARB BATTER FOR FISH?
Instead of breadcrumbs, can easily substitute almond flour to achieve the same golden brown crispy coating.
WHICH FISH IS GOOD FOR FRYING?
The best fish for frying are the white flaky fish such as cod, rockfish, halibut, sea bass or flathead (an Australian fish). Make sure that you buy boneless fish!
HOW DO YOU PAN-FRY FISH FILLETS?
Simply add oil to a heated pan and fry the fish for 2-3 minutes per side or until the crust is golden and fish easily flakes.
Cooking Tips & Tricks for Keto Herb Crumbed Fish with Garlic Lime Aioli
- Size of fish matters. I’ve used several small, long fillets for this recipe (7 x 2 inch long and 1-1.5 inch thick). If you have much larger fillets then halve the crumb mixture and use 1 egg only. Alternatively, cut the fish up into long thin pieces. This works well for serving 4-5 people. Fish fillets thicker than 1.5 inch will also take longer to cook.
- Prepare ahead of time? Coat the fish in the crumb and keep it in the fridge for several hours before cooking. This can help the almond mixture stick to the fish
- Cooking time will depend also on the thickness of your fish. If your fish is very thick, cook for 2 minutes longer
- Cook in the oven? Instead of frying, you can bake these in the oven at 400F (200c) for 15-20 minutes, or until crust is golden and fish is cooked
- Leftover fish will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days
- Leftover garlic aioli? Keep in the fridge for 3-5 days and serve with chicken, as a salad dressing of with keto fish tacos.
- Dairy free? If you can’t have dairy, you can replace the Parmesan with more almond meal and add extra ¼ teaspoon of salt
- When coating the fish, try to only use one hand for coat and dipping so that you have a clean hand to work with
- Fish sticking to the pan? Using a cast-iron or non-stick pan will lead to the best results and prevent sticking and losing that crust. Also make sure you use enough oil and butter.
How to make Keto Herb Crumbed Fish with Garlic Lime Aioli
Start by making the Lime Aioli. You’ll need mayonnaise, lime juice & lime zest and chopped garlic.
Zest the lime. I love using the Microplane zester.
Mix together the mayonnaise, lime juice, lime zest and garlic in a small bowl.
Cover and place the garlic lime aioli in the fridge.
In a wide, shallow bowl, mix together the almond meal, Parmesan, parsley, lime zest, salt and pepper.
In a separate wide, shallow bowl, whisk the egg. One egg will be enough unless you are using lots of small fillets.
Set up your egg bowl, crumb mixture and a large plate in order.
Dip fish into egg bowl to coat on all sides..
Then place into the almond breading to coat on all sides.
Place on the plate and repeat until all of the fish is coated. Place in the fridge for 8-10 minutes or longer. This helps the crumb stick better to the fish when cooking.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat.
Once hot and shimmering, add the fish and fry for 3 minutes, flip, then fry for another 2-3 minutes. You want the fish to flake easily and the crust to be golden.
Serve with the Garlic Lime Aioli, lemon wedges and a salad.
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★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Keto Herb Crumbed Fish with Garlic Lime Aioli
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb firm white skinless, boneless fish, cut into 2 inch wide pieces cod, halibut, sea bass, monkfish, flathead
- 1 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated finely
- 1/2 tbsp parsley chopped finely
- 1/2 tsp lime zest (about 1/2 lime)
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1-2 egg
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for cooking
- 1 tbsp butter for cooking
- Lemon or lime wedges to serve
Lime Aioli
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (not fat-free)
- 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
- 1/2 tsp lime zest (about 1/2 lime)
- 1 garlic clove, small finely chopped
Instructions
Garlic Aioli
- First, make the Lime Aioli as it will give the flavors some time to develop.
In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lime juice, lime zest and garlic. Cover and place in the fridge.
The Fish
- To make the herb crust, mix together the almond meal, Parmesan, parsley, lime zest, salt & pepper in a bowl.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly with a fork.
- Dip each piece of fish into the egg to coat, then place into the almond/herb mixture and roll the fish around to coat on all sides.
- Place all the crumbed fish on a large plate, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 8-10 minutes.
- While the fish is in the fridge, feel free to make a quick salad with your favorite greens and salad vegetables.
- Place a fry-pan over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. Once melted, pan-fry the fish for 3 minutes and then flip and cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side. The fish should flake apart easily and have developed a lovely golden crust.
- Serve with the Lime Aioli, lemon wedges and a salad.
Notes
- Size of fish. If you have much larger fillets then halve the breading and use 1 egg only. Alternatively, cut the fish up into long thin pieces. This works well for serving 4-5 people. Fish fillets thicker than 1.5 inch will also take longer to cook.
- Prepare ahead of time? Coat the fish in the crumb and keep it in the fridge for several hours before cooking. This can help the almond mixture stick to the fish
- Cooking time will depend also on the thickness of your fish. If your fish is very thick, cook for 2 minutes longer
- Cook in the oven? Instead of frying, you can bake these in the oven at 400F (200c) for 15-20 minutes, or until crust is golden and fish is cooked
- Leftover fish will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days
- Fish sticking to the pan? Using a cast-iron or non-stick pan will lead to the best results and prevent sticking and losing that crust. Also make sure you use enough oil and butter.
★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
This post was originally published in February of 2017, but was republished with step by step instructions and cooking tips in January of 2019.
This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a small commission if you purchase some items. Ordering through my site will not change the price you pay. Small commissions like this help to support this blog and my bulletproof coffee habit…
Crazy Good Low Carb Chicken Taco Soup
Absolutely delicious and I followed the recipe exactly. Best sea bass recipe ever, will make again. I did not use the sauce, we served it with a spicy guacamole because we have a tree full of avocados. Thanks for the great recipe, crunchy and keto too. Love fish and chips but this makes the fish legal. Will try for jicama oven french fries next to go with.
That’s awesome Marie! I’m so happy that you loved this recipe…it’s one of our family favorites and no-one has ever noticed that it doesn’t use breadcrumbs!! I bet it was delicious with the spicy guacamole too…
This was absolutely delicious! I baked it in the oven but I first put the sheet pan in the oven with some butter and let it melt in the pan. Then I put the breaded fish on the pan and drizzled a little butter on the top of the pieces of fish before baking. It cooked for about 1/2 hour and got a nice crust. It was soooo delicious with the lime aioli! My husband loved it!
Ooohh! What a great idea for cooking the fish in the oven. You gotta get that crispy crust so thanks for sharing your method. I like to use my oven sometimes instead of the stove top – I’m going to try this for sure!!
This is my go to fish recipe and have made it a dozen times now. My boyfriend thought he didnt like fish, but this recipe changed his mind. I tend to have extra breading at the end so I carefully double coat the fish and fry until dark golden, patiently not flipping or moving it until that crust forms or the breading will fall off. Thanks for the recipe!
This is so great – I love it when someone discovers a new food that they like just because it’s prepared differently! Double coating the fish with the crumb is a good idea and yes, it does fall off more easily than breaded crumb so I’m always careful when turning the fish. With any extra crumb I make little cheesey chips or pancakes – just make small balls with the remaining crumb and fry alongside the fish (flatten a bit) on each side for 2 minutes per side. A super yummy and cheesey chip/pancake!
This was way too much breading and egg. I would half the almond flour, parmesan and egg. I had a ton left over for the amount of fish they called for. I used monkfish. Thicker fish like this needed much longer to cook.
This is a really helpful comment Jennifer! I use a fish with very small fillets so I use up all the crumb and egg but you are right that if you’re using larger fish you should halve the recipe (or cut the fish into smaller pieces). I am about to republish this recipe with additional cooking tips so I’ll be sure to mention this and the cooking time.
We really enjoyed the flavor of the coating on the fish. I made it in the oven so it didn’t get as crispy as we would have liked. Has anybody tried it in an air fryer? I’m willing to try it on the stovetop, but don’t want to lose the coating when I flip the filets. I would like to try making the fish again.
I’m so glad you liked the flavors Regan 🙂 I haven’t made this in the stove or in an airfryer. I really like the crispy coating you get from pan-frying with butter and oil! It’s hard to replicate that in the oven. To avoid losing the coating, place the crumbed fish on a plate covered in cling film in the fridge for 10-30 minutes. This helps the coating to stick. I always find that some coating falls off but I just scoop it up when the fish is cooked and sprinkle it over the fish. They’re like little parmesan crisps!
This was absolutely delicious. Even my son who under no circumstances will touch nuts has devoured it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Major achievement. I’m just sharing this with friends and family. I did skin on sea bass and it was perfect. Many thanks.
I’m so glad you and your son enjoyed it. It’s a family favorite in our house too!
This was absolutely delicious! I baked it in the oven but I first put the sheet pan in the oven with some butter and let it melt in the pan. Then I put the breaded fish on the pan and drizzled a little butter on the top of the pieces of fish before baking. It cooked four about 1/2 hour and got a nice crust. It was soooo delicious with the lime aioli! My husband loved it!
Ooohh! What a great idea for cooking the fish in the oven. You gotta get that crispy crust so thanks for sharing your method. I like to use my oven sometimes instead of the stove top – I’m going to try this for sure!!