How to Make Healthy Versions of Your Fave Junk Foods. Part 3: Fish & Chips!

'Fish and chips' © Andrew Dunn

So you eat healthily 99% of the time - but sometimes you just want to indulge a little. Don't we all?

In the third part of my series entitled 'How to Make Healthy Versions of Your Fave Junk Foods', I'm going to show you how to make a healthier version of the classic fish & chips! (If you missed parts one and two, the links are at the bottom of this post – so go and read them afterwards!)

Both fish and potatoes are good for you – however, fish & chips is generally a high-calorie, high-fat, artery-clogging meal because of the way it's cooked. Traditionally the fish is smothered in batter and deep fried in oil, and the chips are also deep fried and then covered with salt. With a few little tweaks, we can cut down on the excess fat and calories and actually make fish & chips a healthy, nutritious meal!

This recipe serves two. All you'll need is two fish fillets of your choice (white fish is the most commonly used for this dish), two large sweet potatoes, one egg, two slices of wholemeal bread, olive oil and salt & pepper for seasoning.

Sweet potatoes have a lower GI than regular potatoes and are full of calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, beta carotene (which the body converts to vitamin A) and vitamins C and B6. That's why we're going to use them to make our chips today!

To make sweet potato chips (or 'fries'), simply cut your sweet potato into wedges - how thick you make them is up to you. Then put them into a large bowl with a drizzle of oil and toss. Don't use extra virgin olive oil for this as the fats become toxic and a lot of the health benefits are lost when heated, so just use normal olive oil or coconut oil if you prefer. Lay the chips onto a baking tray, add a small spinkle of sea salt and black pepper and cook in the oven on 400F/200C/gas mark six for 30 minutes or until crispy, checking occasionally to ensure they don't burn.

While the chips are cooking, prepare the fish. Firstly, put the bread into a food processor and blend until you have breadcrumbs. Then crack an egg into a bowl and beat. Dip your fish fillets into the beaten egg and then into the breadcrumbs. Lay them on a baking tray and put into the oven when the chips have 15 minutes left to cook. Everything should be done at the same time.

Serve with lemon wedges and your choice of veggies on the side.

 
If you make this or any other recipes in the series, I'd love to see your creations. Send me a pic on Twitter with the hashtag #NicsKitchen and I'll RT them all!

Also in this series:

What other not-so-healthy foods would you like to see healthier versions of? Leave me your suggestions in the comments!

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