You know how certain flavors can take you back to a food memory. For me fish and chips takes me back to a place filled with tartar sauce, tangy coleslaw, crispy French fries and fish galore.

You could almost cut the smell of grease in the air with a knife. The booths had the old school flip down red pleather seats and all that was waiting for you on the table was a bottle of ketchup, malt vinegar, salt and A LOT of napkins, and we all know what that means… lotsa napkins = good eats

New Toronto Fish and Chips in Etobicoke was the place to go for the classic fish and chips, the only problem with this little hole in the wall is that if I were to eat there now (stupid allergies) I would find myself keeled over and ready to die. Sadly not a GF friendly joint, but I have mastered the fish and chips, all while cutting down on the fat and have kept the deep fryers out of the equation completely.

I feel like the third sister on eat shrink and be merry…

Ingredients

“Battered” fish

2 fillets of fish (I like to use cod or halibut)
2 tbsp. of mayonnaise (yes even I eat mayonnaise on occasion)
2 tbsp. of grainy mustard

1/4 tsp. paprika
3-4 piece of GF bread (I love queen street bakery, amaze)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425

First lets get our bread crumbs ie fish batter ready. Toast all of GF bread, allow it to cool, and then chop it up as fine as possible, or you can even whizz it up in your food processor. I like to use 2 pieces of bread per person rather than skimp on the coating.

Next on a plate mix up your mayo, mustard and paprika then lightly coat the fish (don’t feel like you need slop on all the mayo mustard just a light coating) now you’re going to cover the fish with your breadcrumbs and don’t worry if some of them fall off (the bigger the crumb the less likely to stick to the fish)

Next pop in your oven on a rack and bake for about 20 minutes. Once the fish breaks apart or flakes easily you know it’s fully cooked.

Now for you potato side, because you can’t eat fish without the chip.

Mashed baked French Fries

Ingredients

1 package of mini red potatoes
2-3 tbsp. avocado oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425

Don’t worry I’m not going to have you slicing your mini potatoes into fries or matchsticks, this is a no fuss mash recipe, yep you heard me right mashed fries.

Toss your mini potatoes in 1 tbsp. of avocado oil and then bake on a sheet lined with parchment paper for about 30 minutes.

You want the potatoes slightly crispy on the outside and  pretty much cooked on the inside. Then get out the potato masher and go to town. Once they’re all good and mashed throw on another tbsp. or two of oil and toss them back in the oven to bake for another 20-30 minutes. Mash potatoes only a thousand times better thanks to the crispy coating.

And lastly the bonus recipe

Ingredients

Spicy peas with parsley

1 cup of fresh or frozen peas depending on the season
A handful of fresh Italian parsley
1/4 tsp. chili flakes
A touch of avocado oil
Salt and pepper to taste

 

This side dish is so easy and delicious you’ll be wondering why you didn’t think of it. Literally chuck the peas into a pan with some avocado oil and quickly sauté them. Peas don’t take very long to cook and I find if you over cook them they get mushy and gross. Sprinkle with chili flakes fresh parsley toss and serve.

Get your napkins out, because this meal is a keeper…

The first time I made this recipe my gluten eating taste testers, who are my most honest critics, looked at me and said… “This is the best fish I have ever eaten” and that’s a direct quote.