Posted 1 day ago
Eat Well, Live Well – Coconut Crusted Fish or Tofu with Pineapple Salsa
Serves 4
Ingredients
Fish or Tofu
– 4-6 oz fish filets, with or without skin; or 2 blocks of firm tofu (approximately 28 ounces)
– 1 can of coconut milk for marinade (make sure to get BPA free)
– ⅔ cup flaked or shredded unsweetened coconut
– ½ cup almond flour or oat flour
– ½ tsp salt
– ¼ tsp black pepper
– ¼ tsp paprika
Pineapple Salsa
– 2 cups fresh pineapple, diced
– ¼ cup red onion, diced
– ½-1 jalapeno, diced (depending on how spicy you would like it)
– ½ cup cilantro, chopped (if you do not like cilantro you can replace it with parsley)
– 1 large lime or 2 smaller limes, zested and juiced
– 1 garlic clove, minced
– ¼ tsp salt
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and prepare a sheet pan with a thin coating of high-heat oil (such as avocado or coconut)
2. If using tofu, press the block between a towel to remove some of the excess water and then cut the block the long way into four equally sized pieces.
3. Pour the coconut milk into a large bowl and marinate the fish (or tofu) in the coconut milk for 10-20 minutes, turning fish (or tofu) halfway through to ensure all surface area is marinated.
4. Mix together the almond flour, shredded coconut, salt, black pepper, and paprika on a plate or baking dish.
5. After marinating, remove one piece of fish or tofu from coconut milk and gently shake off excess.
6. Breading:
If using fish with skin, place the fish flesh side down in the coconut mixture and cover the sides, leaving the skin bare. Then, place the fish skin side down on the prepared sheet pan.
If using tofu or fish without skin: place in coconut mixture and roll to ensure all sides are covered with coconut mixture. Then place on the prepared sheet pan.
7. Repeat with the remaining fish of tofu and drizzle a little oil on top of each piece to help with browning.
8. Bake in oven:
For fish, baking time will depend on the thickness of your piece. For thinner pieces, bake around 15-20 minutes; for thicker pieces, bake around 25-30 minutes. The crust should be golden brown and inside tender and juicy.
For tofu, bake for 30 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
9. While the fish or tofu is baking, mix together all of the pineapple salsa ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning.
10. Serve crispy golden fish or tofu with pineapple salsa and a lime wedge with roasted or grilled veggies or a salad.
Brenda Gridley, CSP, RDN
Brenda is originally from Los Angeles, CA where she attended California State University of Los Angeles for her under graduate degree in Nutritional Science. She began her career with Kaiser Permanente in 2004. Throughout her professional development, she has worked in Cardiology and open heart surgery, Renal/Dialysis, organ transplants and Oncology, including chemotherapy, radiation and head and neck. Brenda has extensive experience with weight management programs, including Bariatric and finally Eating disorders and mindful eating. She went on to specialize in the Pediatric population and has maintained her Certification in Pediatric Nutrition since 2011. Areas she has managed include pediatric and neonatal intensive care units where she was responsible for individualizing therapeutic diets and alternate nutrition support based on specific metabolic needs, medical conditions, and cultural preferences.
Her passion for nutrition was developed at a young age and reared by her grandmother who always instilled the importance of a healthy diet and active lifestyle. When her grandmother became ill, Brenda became aware of the impact nutrition plays in disease prevention and maintaining overall mind and body health. She cared for grandmother until she passed and has made it her goal to help others achieve their full “nutrition potential” with using a culturally sensitive holistic approach.
She is married with two beautiful daughters and in her spare time she enjoys watching movies with her children, experimenting with new recipes, reading mystery novels, running and Yoga.
Please ask your Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers provider for a referral to see our dietary counselors.