Fish and Chips

Gluten-free | Sugar-free | Dairy-free | Low carb

Serves 1 

Why it's delicious

Fish and chips, who doesn't love it? Growing up, Thursday night was always fish and chips night in our house where a grease laden parcel of fish and chips graced our kitchen table. Though seen as a treat even then, I was always left with a mouth full of oil and a body that was not prepared to do anything after that monstrous feed. 

Introducing a delicious and fresh take on my Thursday night staple. Using a grilled fish covered in rice cracker crumbs, it accompanies baked zucchini chips and a sweet basil and lemon pesto. 

Helpful hints and tips

Fish  Use a firm white fish that doesn't fall apart when you cook it. The thicker the better. If you are using frozen fish, allow the fish to defrost overnight in the refrigerator for best defrosted fish results. 

Basil + lemon pesto I’ve given you enough ingredients to make a large jar of the pesto which is perfect for dribbling, splashing, dipping and rubbing into meats, vegetables, and all manner of goodies! 

Ground wakame It’s a great idea to buy a packet of wakame (dried seaweed) from the supermarket or Asian store and grind until it's small enough to sprinkle. I used a coffee/spice grinder to grind mine, but you can also use a food processor or you can chop furiously with a sharp knife until the seaweed is in small fine pieces. 

Ingredients

Basil + lemon pesto

• 3 cups packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
• 1-2 lemons, juiced and skin zested
• 2 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 60 ml (2 fl oz)  water 
• Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 250 g (8.8 oz)  zucchini, cut into chips 
• 1 plain rice cake, blended until fine crumbs
• 100 g (3.5 oz) piece white fish fillet, medium to firm
• 1 tsp ground wakame
• 1 lemon wedge 

Method

1. Prepare the basil pesto by placing the basil, parsley, juice of 1 lemon, garlic and water into a blender and blending on high for 30-60 seconds or until the basil leaves. If the pesto seems a bit dry,  add another 60 ml of water and blend to combine. 
2. Season the pesto with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and taste for flavour adding more lemon juice or seasoning if required. Store the pesto in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 
3. Preheat your air fryer on 200C (390F) and place the zucchini chips in a single layer on the rack or in the basket.  Sprinkle the chips with salt and pepper and drizzle over a tablespoon of basil + lemon pesto. Air fryer for 10-14 minutes or until golden and crisp. 
4. Pat a little water over the fish fillet and using the rice cracker crumbs, pat them on to the fish fillet to form a crust. Season with salt and pepper and the ground wakame. 
5. Turn the air fryer down to 180C (350F) and place the crumbed fillet into the basket or rack. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the fish is just cooked and flakes easily when prodded gently with a fork. 
6. Serve with a lemon wedge and side of pesto for dipping the chips.