Can You Eat Fried Fish On Keto?

Last updated on August 3rd, 2022 at 08:41 pm

If you are on a keto diet but enjoy eating fish, you are probably wronderting if you can eat it fried. Fish is very healthy for you with many nutrients but you are worried that the crispy breading is too much and can ruin your low-carb diet. 

So, can you eat fried fish while on a keto diet?

You can eat fried fish on keto but you can’t have normal fried fish (because of the breading so you should stick to only enjoying it at home. Restaurant’s fried fish is higher in carbs. As long as you fry your fish with the right kind of oils and breading then you are okay to eat fried fish on keto.

A keto diet is great for losing weight. Because it involves eating less carbs, your body then uses up the protein and fat you are eating for energy instead of the carbs. 

A keto diet involves ketosis and is a short-term diet. It’s focused on weight  loss instead of pursuing health benefits. So, if you want to lose weight, this is a great diet for you. 

Our body uses up carbs quickly and then stores the fat you eat resulting in you gaining weight. So, if you are on a keto diet, you are on a low-carb diet. The idea of this is for you to get more calories from protein and fat instead from the carbs. 

The carbs that you cut back most on are sugar, soda, pastries, and white bread. Let’s discuss this a little more in depth so you can understand how it works and why eating and not eating certain foods can help you to lose weight on keto.  

Now, those with some health conditions may not benefit from a keto diet. To avoid worsening your condition, talk to your doctor first before trying keto.

A keto diet works fast since your body is using up protein and fat instead of carbs for your energy and isn’t storing fat. You can start to see results in the first 3 to 6 months. Keto can help you lose more weight than other diets as well because it takes more calories to change fat into energy than it does to turn carbs into energy. 

Another reason it works could be that a high-fat, high-protein diet satisfies you more resulting in you eating less, although this isn’t proven. 

A keto diet can also help with endurance for athletes, runners or cyclists. When on keto, over time it helps your muscle to fat ratio and raises oxygen that your body can use while you are working out hard. 

This can help athletes while they train but may not be the best diet option for peak performance times. 

If you are trying to lose weight and are on a keto diet, it can be difficult finding the right foods to eat. Some foods that are high in carbs you want to avoid and instead eat foods that are low in carbs and high in fat and protein. 

If you enjoy eating fish, more specifically fried fish, then it will be good news that you can eat fried fish on keto as long as you bread it with low carb breading/flour. 

How Many Carbs Are In Fried Fish?

On keto, you only eat a certain amount of carbs a day and you don’t want to use it all in one meal. But, homemade fried fish is fine to eat on a keto diet. Fried fish contains 10 grams of fat and 11 grams of protein, but how many carbs are in fried fish?

Traditional fried fish contains about 14 grams of carbs. This means that it is not a low carb meal or keto-friendly when made normally. However, there are many fish batters that you can use to make fried fish that will keep it under 1 net carb per serving. 

For example, you can get a low carb Tempura batter mix that is only ½ a carb per serving. Yes, that is half a carb per serving instead of the normal 14 carbs per serving with normal fried fish. 

As you can see, choosing the right batter for your fried fish is vital when you are on a keto diet. 

Eating less than 50 grams of carbs a day, (which is what you will do on a keto diet), your body will eventually run out of fuel that it can use up quickly. This fuel is blood sugar and it typically takes 3 to 4 days for this to happen. Soon, you will start to break down protein and fat for energy instead of carbs helping you to lose weight. 

This is referred to as ketosis and yes, that’s where the name “keto” came from. 

People use a keto diet to lose weight, however it can help with certain medical conditions. Epilepsy, heart disease, brain diseases, and acne are said to be more manageable on keto, but this is still in the research process. 

As we said before, if you aren’t sure if keto is right for you, then you should talk with your doctor. They know your medical conditions and are better able to tell you if trying a keto diet is safe for you to do.

There are some foods you can and cannot eat while on a keto diet because of their carbohydrate count. If you like to eat fish, then the good news is that you don’t have to give this up while on keto. 

Fish is very healthy for you to eat and it is high in omega 3s and has a lot of nutrients. You can even eat fried fish on keto. Yes, fried fish is keto-friendly. Well, if it’s prepared properly of course. 

Some oils and breadings contain carbs and you don’t want to eat all of your carbs you are allowed for the day up in one meal. Restaurants tend to use unhealthy oils and breading to fry their fish, so avoiding fried fish from restaurants is advised. 

But, you can make your own at home and it’s easy to do! 

First, to make a keto-friendly fried fish email, start by choosing the right kind of fish. THes include fish that are high in omega 3s and are as followers:

• Farmed Atlantic Salmon
• Atlantic herring
• Mussels
• Anchovies
• Swordfish
• Sardines
• Mackerel
• Trout
• Alaskan Pollock
• Cod
• Canned Tuna

Next, you want to choose the right kind of oil to fry them in. You want some with a high smoke point so you can cook the fish at high tmeorure. Saturated fats are great for this. So, tallow and lard are recommended as the best oils to fry keto-friendly fish in. 

Some recipes will have you use vegetable oil, peanut oil, grapeseed oil, soybean oil ,canola oil, etc. but saturated fats are recommended as the best option.

Finally you want to choose your breading. There are many low carb breading options to choose from. Here are some options that are low in carbs making them keto-friendly:

• Whey Protein
• Egg White Powder
• Grated Parmesan
• Crushed Pork Rinds
• Almond Flour
• Coconut Flour. 
• Grated Coconut Flakes
• Ground Flax Seed

After you have selected all of your ingredients, you can then fry your fish as usual for a tasty and delicious keto-friendly meal. Many recipes for keto frozen fish are available online. Click here for a recommended recipe using almond flour for the breading. 

Final Thoughts

You can eat fried fish on keto. As long as you prepare and fry it properly, you can enjoy a delicious breaded meal with only a small amount of carbs. 

Keto is a low-carb diet that helps you to lose weight. Even though you may have to avoid certain foods, fried fish is keto-friendly when made correctly.