Crispy Kombucha-Battered Fish with Tartar Sauce (gluten-free)

 My family raved about a new recipe last week: fried fish! I'm glad to find a fish recipe that everyone in the family loves, as fish can be hit-and-miss in our house. Some kombucha in the batter adds depth and great flavor. And the batter is wonderfully crispy thanks to rice flour (and beware, that also makes this not GAPS-legal).  Add some tartar sauce and YUM!

Crispy Kombucha-Battered Fish
Serves 3-4

• 10 ounces mild white fish, such as flounder, preferably wild-caught
• 1 egg, preferably from pastured hens
• 1 & 1/2 cups white rice flour*
• 6 ounces plain kombucha tea
• 1.5 tsp celtic sea salt, plus more for seasoning fish
• 4-6 ounces filtered water
• 1/2 cup refined coconut oil**
• Tartar sauce (recipe follows)

1. Pat the fish dry with paper towels, and cut it on an angle into 1-2-inch pieces. Season lightly with salt.
2. Spread 1/2 cup of the rice flour into a shallow, wide dish, such as a pie plate. 
3. Lightly beat the egg in a medium bowl.  Add the remaining 1 cup rice flour, kombucha, and 1.5 tsp salt.  Start with 4 ounces of water, whisk it all together, and check the consistency.  The batter should cling nicely to a spoon, but if it seems too thick go ahead and add a bit more water. (The amount of water you'll need may vary a bit depending on what brand of rice flour you use.)
4. Get ready to batter the fish by arranging the following in a row: chopped fish, followed by shallow dish of rice flour, followed by the wet batter, followed by a clean large cutting board or plate. Also get out a large, heavy bottomed skillet, and add 1/2 cup of refined coconut oil.
5. Dredge the fish pieces in the rice flour, then drop them into the batter.  Scoop them from the batter and let excess batter drip off, then place them on the large cutting board or plate. 
6. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat.  Once the oil is melted and shimmery, start frying the fish.  Leave plenty of room in the skillet, and fry the fish in batches.  The fish should be fried for about 2 minutes on each side, until the batter is nicely browned and crispy.
7. Remove the fish onto a paper-towel lined plate to remove any extra oil.  Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt, and serve with tartar sauce.  

*My family is finding that white rice is much easier on digestion than brown rice as we transition off the GAPS diet.
**I like the mild flavor of refined coconut oil for this recipe.  If you want your fish to taste coconutty, go ahead and use unrefined oil!

Tartar Sauce

• 1/2 c. homemade mayo
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 2 dill pickles, chopped
• 1/2 tsp dried dill
• 2 tsp dill pickle juice or lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
• freshly ground pepper

Combine all ingredients.  Stir, and refrigerate until ready to use.

This post is part of the Kombucha Challenge Carnival!