Crispy and flavorful paleo fish ‘n chips are the perfect family friendly dinner menu idea made healthy!

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Boxed fish sticks…

As far as my childhood goes, and probably many in my generation, that was definitely the extent of most kids’ exposure to fish. I don’t think I touched a piece of fish from the time I was a teen until my mid 20’s when I learned better, and boy I am determined to change that!

Know better, do better…

While I know beyond a shadow of a doubt our generation’s parents were just doing what they thought was best (fish is healthy right?!), those boxed fish sticks were pulled from questionable sources, and the breading…well, let’s just say the mile long list of ingredients probably didn’t do any of us any good!

More and more of us are becoming more conscious of fish sourcing importance, as well what the toxins and ingredients in processed foods do to our health (liver overload, every autoimmune disorder imaginable from Hashimoto’s to RA, Chron’s, and IBS all have roots in toxins from our environment and food).

So what can we do when we just want to have something fun like fish and chips from our childhood?

Give those fish and chips a real food makeover, of course! Sure it’s not as fast as a box of fish sticks dumped onto the tray, but I gauruntee this preps faster than you think, *and* here’s the kicker…over time, those boxed fish sticks will wreck havok on your digestion. Making your own won’t be overloading your body with foreign food-like chemicals and ingredients which means you’ll feel better!

Sheet pan prep fast and oh so good!

This crispy fish is super fast to bread up and the fries get so crispy with minimal effort! The trick is all in the oven temp and cook time! I love using this organic all seasons salt to season the fries – it seriously tastes just like a restaurant! Such a treat!

Ideas for batching up the fish into the freezer

This busy momma knows that taking the time to make dinner sometimes just doesn’t happen. That’s why those boxed fished sticks from the store became so popular in the first place, right?!

So the next time you stock up on some wild caught fish, take a 20 minutes and bread up a bunch of fish for the freezer. You can get them all coated up, put them on a sheet tray into the freezer for an hour, and them pop the frozen breaded fish into a bag – they will pull out of the freezer just as convenient as the boxed kind!

Super quick veggie sides for fish ‘n chips!

Salad (here are some kid friendly 5 minute dressings!)
Sheet pan roasted veg that can roast right along side the fish and chips
Steamed frozen veg – just dump the bag in, steam, and add butter! So fast!

A quick note on sourcing

Wild caught fish is always best. We have a local fish monger that sells wild caught cod and salmon sometimes, but my main source most of the time is actually Costco. Their freezer section has great wild caught cod and it is always there! The health benefits of wild caught fish versus conventional/farm raised fish is vastly different. Cod is a great source of fat for brain development, so it is a nice meal to get your littles used to from very young.

(You can read more about how to introduce babies and toddlers to fish in my cookbook, Nourished Beginnings).

I hope this recipe brings back a little bit of childhood to you!