Cod in chickpea batter (gf)
When I asked for cod filet for three this morning, the fishmonger asked if it was for three normal people, or three rugbymen. I had replied that it was for three normal people and then wondered if this wasn’t perhaps stretching the truth a bit.
In southwestern France, we live amongst constant reminders of the rugby-playing heritage. Many refer to the region as l’Ovalie, which means the land of the oval ball, and one Landaise priest has even dedicated his chapel, Notre Dame du Rugby, to his passion! Towns and villages are deserted whenever there’s a match on, and weekends in hospital emergency rooms are not for the faint-hearted; they’re bursting with sights of broken and bloody noses, limbs and assorted extremities and sounds of blubbering girlfriends.
Back to my normal fish. Delicious as it is, cod can be a bit bland. Although that could be due to my overextended tastebuds which are singed on a regular basis by very spicy food. This chickpea batter is both healthy and delicious and an excellent vehicle for herbs and spices. Chickpea flour is far healthier than refined wheat flour as it’s packed with vitamins (particularly folic acid), minerals and protein-building amino acids. It also has a very low GI and is very tasty.
Recipe for cod in chickpea batter (for 4 normal people)
- 4 cod filets
- 50g chickpea flour
- 1 cup of water
- 1 garlic clove
- olive oil and coconut oil
- seasoning (salt pepper, paprika)
- pinch of bicarbonate of soda
Combine the chickpea flour and bicarbonate of soda with enough water (roughly a cup) to make a batter similar to a pancake batter. Add the seasoning and crushed garlic clove, then dip the cod filets in the batter, making sure they are covered all over. Cook in about half a centimetre of olive and coconut oils on a medium hob (cooking oil should never smoke) for about five minutes on each side. The end result should be golden brown and crisp!
16 Comments
Menopausalmother
This looks SOOO delicious! I love fish prepared like this—am going to have to try this out–thanks for sharing!!
The Healthy Epicurean
It is SOOO good – my 9-year-old son will eat absolutely any fish done this way 🙂
Food,Photography & France
You’ve sold me on chickpea flour. I’m always looking at it in my local Bio and forgetting to buy it:)
The Healthy Epicurean
Yes get some – it’s really versatile as well as being a healthy option.
Aeriol
thank you for this recipe. I am a celiac so can’t eat wheat. I made haddock today in this batter and with a big salad it was delish
The Healthy Epicurean
I’m so glad you liked it. This batter goes beautifully with haddock 🙂
Sarah
Should the oil be 50/50 ratio?
The Healthy Epicurean
It’s really according to taste. Sometimes I even make it 100% olive oil. I’ve also cooked it in peanut oil, which is quite good. 50:50 ratio olive/coconut works well too though, although no more coconut oil than that because it might be a bit sweet… I hope you enjoy it 🙂
lagatta à montréal
I was googling chickpea batter fish and came upon your blog. Tonight I made smelt that way and they were delicious. I added a bit of caraway seed, whizzed in the coffee grinder I use for spices. I do have some espelette pepper, but preferred to use that in the mayonnaise for the smelt. I was astonished at how non-greasy they emerged – I fry in my wok.
The Healthy Epicurean
Caraway seed sounds like a great addition – I’ll have to try that.
sallybr
Very very interesting! I never thought of using chickpea flour to coat anything, and now I cannot stop thinking about it…. I even have a bag in the freezer! 😉
The Healthy Epicurean
Do try it – it’s my ‘go to’ batter now because I eat gluten free, but even friends and family that can eat gluten prefer it! Let me know what you think if you defrost some! 🙂
David
Tried this as I was looking for new recipes for the big bag of gram flour lurking in my cupboard and in another attempt to get my daughter to eat more fish.
It is pretty straightforward to do. Worked well with pollock. There is a nice, subtle chickpea flavour that adds, rather than takes over the dish. Will definitely be using this again. Thanks
The Healthy Epicurean
Thank you for your feedback David – I’m so glad you liked it. I find now that even people that don’t have to eat gluten free prefer this batter to normal batter… 🙂
Hugh Spight
Is it possible to deep fry fish with this batter? Hugh.
The Healthy Epicurean
Hi Hugh, I have never deep fried using this batter – I usually shallow-fry, but I don’t see why not. You’d need to make sure that the batter is thick enough to ‘stick’. Chickpea flour is quite ‘good-tempered’, so I’m pretty sure it would work! Please let me know how you get on.😊