Come on…Let’s Talk Paleo!
Yes I said it. It’s time to fry some fish. What say you?-‘You can’t fry fish on the Paleo Diet’? Says who?
One of the most important concepts that I want to share to anyone considering the Paleo Diet is that it does not have to be as hard as you think. In general, there is a transition that some people go through when they are adopting the Paleo Diet. Step 1-Read the Paleo Diet Book and think that you have to be as strict as Dr. Loren Cordain is. Step 2-Get scared and fear that you can’t keep it up. Step 3-Start to cheat because you assumed that you were doomed to fail. Step 4-Give up.
Well I do agree that reading the Paleo Diet Book is a great way to get started but more importantly it is a great way to learn the science and health benefits behind eating well. Once you understand the principles it will drive you to make the transition. But for most of us mere mortals, once we transition, we will adopt a 50-80% Paleo Diet Life Style and still see vast improvements in our health, skin, emotional balance and weight. By no means am I suggesting that you only take the diet so far. What I am saying is that adopting the principles behind the diet are more important than following the diet strictly. #1-Cook your own food whenever possible. #2-Eat lean meats, preferably organic or at least grown without antibiotics. #3-Rid your diet of sugar and salt or at least vastly reduce it from your diet. #4-Eat vegetables instead of pasta, rice and bread. With these four changes you will see a HUGE improvement in how you feel, your moods, your energy and your weight.
Now my next piece of advice is don’t think that you have to drastically change everything you eat. That is the biggest misconception about the Paleo Diet. Instead, consider modifying what you eat keeping in mind the Pale Diet principles. With that said, let’s fry up some fish.
So on Friday I was in the mood for fish. But I didn’t want just any fish. I wanted some fried fish. No-I did not completely fall off the wagon. I decided to whip out my favorite fried fish recipe and wow my boyfriend with my Paleo skills!
To start, buy some flakey white fish. I usually buy fish when it is on sale at the supermarket. Today I used Plaice (flaky white fish found in the South where I live) but feel free to use any white fish such as catfish, tilapia or whatever fish you prefer. You will need to set up three work stations. The first station is for the wet prep or the liquid mixture that you will apply to the fish. For this mixture I cracked two eggs for approximately 1-1 ½ pound of fish and added three tablespoons of Creole mustard or spicy mustard. I used Zatarain’s Creole Mustard but I have also used Grey Poupon in the past. Mix the mustard completely into the eggs with a fork. In the second work station mix together a dry mixture of three cups almond flour (fine), one tablespoon of cracked red pepper, black pepper and Mrs. Dash to taste, and a teaspoon of garlic powder. Once those two mixtures are ready, prepare your third work station by placing two tablespoons of coconut oil into a frying pan or cast iron skillet. Be sure to set up an assembly line from the wet mixture, to the dry mixture to the frying pan. Coat both sides of each fillet with the wet and dry mixtures. Then place each fillet in the frying pan allowing each piece of fish to touch but not overlap. Cook each piece of fish on Medium heat until each side is golden brown. Remove the fish from the heat and place it on paper towel to remove the excess oil.
I also baked a pan of chopped broccoli and carrots. Cut up the vegetables and place them flat on a baking sheet. Pour three tablespoons of melted coconut oil on top and sprinkle Hungarian Hot Paprika, black pepper and Mrs. Dash to taste. Cook four pieces of bacon and drizzle the bacon fat on top. Dice the bacon and sprinkle on top of the vegetables as well. Cook the vegetables for 35 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
The final dish was delicious, satisfying and very Paleo!
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