Taj and Johnny’s Fish and Chips

Pete takes you through the big ideas, the whys and wherefores of the Paleo Way. How did what we ate affect how we evolved? And, most importantly, how do we translate that into the 21st Century kitchen? Meals include Mum’s Bolognese with zucchini “pasta,” Coconut Curry with guest chef, Seamus Mullen, and Paleo Fish and Chips with Taj Burrow and Johnny Gannon.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 4 x 180 g white-fleshed fish fillets of your choice  (e.g. snapper, barramundi, cod, sea bass, coral trout etc.)
  • 3½ tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 2 large sweet potatoes (400 g each), peeled and cut into 8 mm round slices
  • 1 handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1 lemon
  • Sea salt
  • Salad
    • 1 small handful mixed sprouts
    • 1 small handful alafafa sprouts
    • 2 large handfuls mixed leaves (mesclun)
    • 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
    • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
    • 3½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 2½ tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1½ tablespoons hulled hemp seeds
    • 1 avocado, stone removed, sliced

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  2. Lightly coat a large baking tray with a little coconut oil.  Spread the sweet potato slices on the tray in a single layer and rub 2 tablespoons of coconut oil over them, then season with sea salt. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then turn the sweet potato slices over and continue to bake for a further 5 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Keep a close eye on the chips as they can easily burn.
  3. To prepare the fish fillets, season the fillets with salt and pepper and rub them on both sides with the remaining coconut oil. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Put them skin side up on the pan and cook until golden brown for 3 minutes, then flip the fillets with a spatula. Cook the fish until completely opaque throughout, for a further 5 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, add all the salad ingredients to a bowl, season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper and gently mix.
  5. Arrange the salad onto plates, place the fish on top and serve with the sweet potato chips.  Sprinkle with parsley leaves and a squeeze of lemon.