Gluten and Dairy-Free, Keto and Paleo Friendly

Modified from skinnytaste.com

This fish is scrumptious! The Mediterranean inspired sauce has two of my favorite ingredients in it: fennel and olives. If you’re keto you can cut the carbs by only using a small amount of sauce. The tomatoes are technically a fruit but many keto plans allow them. Stay healthy without losing any flavor!

Ingredients

For the sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil, I prefer avocado or coconut (refined) because it can reach high temperatures without damage, unlike olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • 1/2 cup chopped fennel
  • One 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juices or can of crushed tomatoes
  • 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, very thinly sliced chiffonade style 
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
  • Pink or grey sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 3-4 cups baby spinach (put on the plate and then wilted with the hot food, looks beautiful, tastes great, and is a healthy additional serving of greens)
  • 3 cups cauliflower rice, cooked (add this on top of the spinach to help it wilt and then add the fish and then top it with the sauce)

For the fish:

  • Four 4-6 ounce skinless Chilean sea bass fillets, or other sustainable firm white-fleshed fish fillets such as halibut, cod or striped bass
  • Organic avocado or other oil cooking spray
  • Pink or grey sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil like avocado or refined coconut

Instructions

  1. Set the racks in the middle and upper thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 F

For the sauce:

  1. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the cooking oil (avocado) until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until golden, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the fennel and cook until the vegetables are soft and translucent, an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the tomatoes with their juices. If using canned whole tomatoes, use the back of a wooden spoon to smash the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
  4. Add the basil, wine, olives, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
  5. Reduce to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly thickened, while you prepare the fish.

For the fish:

  1. Pat the fillets dry, lightly spray them with cooking spray, and season with salt and pepper.
  2. In a heavy ovenproof skillet over high heat, heat the cooking oil (avocado) until shimmering. Add the fillets, rounded-side down, and cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Carefully flip the fillets with a metal spatula and place the skillet in the oven. Bake until the fish is no longer translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.
  4. Switch the oven to broil and place the skillet on the upper rack. Broil until the tops of the fillets are golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes.

Place baby spinach on each individual plate, add hot cauliflower rice if you please (this wilts the spinach) then arrange the fillets on each plate, spoon on the sauce, and serve.

Buen Provecho!

Nutritional Information:

Serving: 1fillet (these calculations were made without the incorporation of the cauliflower rice and spinach as these are optional)

  • Calories: 362kcal
  • Carbohydrates: 13.5g
  • Protein: 42.5g
  • Fat: 12.5g
  • Saturated Fat: 2g
  • Cholesterol: 90mg
  • Sodium: 489mg
  • Fiber: 3g
  • Sugar: 7.5g