Keto Fritto Misto – By Anthony Davies
These days it seems that “carbs are the enemy” when it comes to healthy eating. This becomes even more important for those who have the misfortune to be Diabetic. On the other hand we’re told that fish is good for us, especially oily fish like mackerel and salmon.
Seafood For Two
This variation on a classic Italian “Fritto Misto” or “Mixed Fry” lets us have our crumbed fish and eat it too, carbohydrate free! The trick is to substitute the breadcrumbs or panko mix with crushed pork crackle, that is the snack type crackle you’ll find behind the bar at the pub. This stuff is also available at the supermarket at better than pub prices, it’s almost pure protein and it makes a great crumbing mix. You can use almost any seafood in a Fritto Misto; I’ve usually got doggy mackerel in the freezer, for this effort I also rustled up some good sized prawns and a handful of calamari rings. Allow about 2-300g of raw seafood per person, depending on the greediness factor. Quantities given here serve 2
Ingredients:
About 600g raw seafood – white fish fillets, prawns, squid rings in this instance; scallops, red claw tails, baby octopus or oysters work well too.
1 x 50g packet of good quality Pork Crackle – the cheapest stuff is full of hard chewy bits.
1 x egg, Olive oil for frying, salt to taste
Method:
Crush the pork crackle in a mortar and pestle. Several small batches work better than one big load. Once its uniformly the size of small breadcrumbs tip out onto a large plate.
Peel and devein the prawns, leaving the last shell segment and tail fan on. Extend the deveining cut almost completely through each prawn, then “butterfly” the prawn so it lays flat. A gentle tap with a meat mallet will finish each cutlet.
Crush the crackle a little at a time
Pat the prawns ,squid rings and fish fillets dry with paper towels. You can cheat at this stage and lightly dust the seafood with flour, but the recipe still works with no flour at all.
Break the egg into a bowl and beat well. Meanwhile, cover the bottom of a non stick frypan with olive oil and bring to a medium heat.
Crumbed and ready to coo
Dip each piece of seafood into the egg and allow any excess to drip off. Roll in the crackle crumbs till well covered, then place in the frypan. The fish will take longest to cook, so do that first followed by the squid and then the prawns last of all. The fish will take about 6 minutes per side depending on thickness, the other seafood a couple of minutes less. The crackle crumbs are very forgiving and won’t burn unless you seriously overcook the meal.
Gently shallow fry at medium heat
Drain on paper towels, season with salt to taste and serve with salad and lemon wedges.
