Fish Bites with Homemade Low Sugar Tomato Ketchup
By nutritional therapist Christine Bailey
Crispy oven-baked fish fingers served with homemade low-sugar ketchup make this a popular meal for children. White fish, such as pollock or cod, is a great source of energy-boosting B vitamins and protein. The crispy oven-baked bites can also be enjoyed cold, so you can pack them into lunch boxes.
(serves 4/makes 8 bites)
Nut Free, Soy Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free
Ingredients:
250g pollock, cod or haddock fillets (skinless and boneless)
Juice of ½ lemon
50g polenta
50g dried gluten-free breadcrumbs (or use extra polenta)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp olive oil
For the tomato ketchup:
400g passata
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Pinch of cayenne pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp ground allspice
2 tbsp xylitol or erythritol or pinch of stevia
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
First make the ketchup. Put all the ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil, stirring well. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes to reduce the sauce until it is quite thick. Stir occasionally to prevent the mixture sticking to the bottom. Leave to cool then store in the refrigerator until required
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 and grease and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
Cut the fish into eight pieces, then squeeze over the lemon juice.
Mix the polenta and breadcrumbs, if using, and season with salt and pepper.
Dip the fish into the egg, then turn several times in the polenta/breadcrumb mixture to coat. Repeat with all the pieces of fish and lay them on the baking sheet.
Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.
Serve with the ketchup and some steamed vegetables and salad leaves/greens.
Recipes and images from Christine Bailey’s new book My Kids Can’t Eat That: How to Deal with Allergies & Intolerances in Children. Published by Nourish Books.