Caribbean: Aruba: Aruban Fish Fry with Garlic Aioli

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE GARLIC AIOLI:

1 cup avocado oil mayonnaise

Juice from 1/2 lemon (about 1 1/2 Tablespoons)

1 clove garlic, finely minced or microplaned

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

FOR THE FISH FRY:

1 1/2 pounds firm white fish fillets (cod, halibut, rockfish, snapper), thawed

1 pound large or medium shrimp (peeled, tails-on), thawed

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, divided

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1 cup gluten-free flour blend

1 Tablespoon salt-free all-purpose seasoning

1/2 teaspoon dried dill (optional)

2 eggs

Coconut or avocado oil, for pan-frying

SIDES:

1-2 pounds frozen french fries (or make your own!)

Pickled Red Onions

1-2 lemons, sliced into wedges, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees or whatever temperature is recommended to bake your fries.

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the aioli. Taste, and add more lemon juice or salt to suite your taste. Refrigerate until ready to use. You can make this 2-3 days in advance.

Cut the fish fillets into 2-3 inch pieces and put them, along with the shrimp, on a couple of large plates. Sprinkle a few generous pinches of salt over everything (about 1/2-1 teaspoon total). Squirt the juice from the 1/2 lemon on the fish & shrimp, too and let it sit for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the breading and the oil.

Whisk the eggs into one shallow bowl. Add the gluten-free flour, all-purpose seasoning, dill, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt in another shallow bowl. Mix together thoroughly.

Prepare a draining station by putting a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Put your fries in the oven.

Add enough oil to a large skillet to cover the bottom completely — about 1/8-1/4 in deep. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. The oil should “shimmer” and appear to have waves running through it. If it’s smoking, then it’s too hot. A few drops of water flicked into the oil should make a loud popping/sizzling noise.

While the oil is heating, begin breading the fish and shrimp. Dip each piece into the egg mixture, shaking any excess off. Then, dip it into the flour mixture, coating evenly. Shake any excess flour off, too, then add the breaded fish & shrimp to the hot oil.

Fry them on each side. Cooking time will depend on thickness of fish — about 1-2 minutes per side. Shrimp only need about 30-45 seconds per side. They should be golden brown on both sides. The fish should be completely pink and the fish should flake easily.

Continue working in batches breading and cooking the fish and shrimp and transferring them to the cooling rack to drain.

Don’t forget about your fries!

Serve everything immediately with the garlic aioli, pickled red onions, and lemon wedges.