Coconut White Fish Patties for Full GAPS

These coconut white fish patties start with steamed fish, two eggs, and unsweetened shredded coconut. Shape the mixture into small, thick patties, fry them in coconut oil, and finish with fresh lemon juice. The outside should brown while the fish inside stays flaked rather than turning into a smooth paste.

There are two cooking steps to plan: steaming the fillets and frying the shaped patties. The fish needs to cool enough to handle before you mix in the eggs. Get the steamer going first, then prepare the bowl, coconut, and skillet while the fish cooks and cools.

I homeschool before leaving for second shift, so a useful dinner plan needs more than the last few minutes at the stove. A fish patty can fry quickly, but that does not include everything that happens before it reaches the oil. I want the preparation and the cooking stages clear before fitting the meal into the day.

With six kids, I also check the serving count before starting. This recipe makes four servings, not necessarily four individual patties. Use the 2× control when you need a larger batch, and allow space and time to fry it without crowding the skillet.

Choose Plain Skin-On Fillets

Use twelve to sixteen ounces of wild-caught cod or walleye fillets for this version. Fresh or thawed plain fillets fit the stovetop steaming method. Choose fish without breading or a prepared sauce.

Keep the descaled skin with the fillets. The 2020 GAPS book says to eat fish skin along with the meat. After steaming, include it in the patties rather than peeling it off and discarding it.

The fish’s cooked weight will be different from its raw weight. Measure the twelve-to-sixteen-ounce amount before steaming. That range stays a range in this recipe; there is no need to turn every batch into an exact pound of cooked fish.

Steam Until the Fish Flakes

Set a steamer basket over water in a saucepan with a lid. Keep the fish above the water rather than submerged in it. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, place the fillets in the basket, and sprinkle them with half a teaspoon of sea salt.

Cover and steam for about four to eight minutes. Look for fish that is firm and opaque and flakes easily when pulled with a fork. A thicker part of the fillet is more useful to check than a very thin edge that finishes first.

The water is there to make steam, so keep enough in the saucepan for the cooking period without letting it reach the fish. The method does not give a fixed stovetop water measure. The amount depends on the pan and basket you are using.

Let the fish cool until it is no longer too hot to handle. This makes it easier to flake and mix. Cooling is part of getting the mixture ready, and its length varies with the fillets and how hot they are when they leave the steamer.

Flake and Add the Coconut Binder

Pull the cooked fish apart with a fork in a bowl. It should separate into flakes without needing a blender. Check for any bones as you work. Cut any cooked skin that does not separate neatly into small pieces and keep it with the fish.

Add two eggs and a quarter cup of unsweetened shredded coconut without additives. Mix them through the fish, then add extra salt and black pepper to taste. The measured half teaspoon of salt was used on the fish before steaming.

Use shredded coconut here, not coconut flour. Shreds and finely ground coconut flour behave differently in a mixture, so a quarter cup of one is not automatically a quarter-cup replacement for the other. This version uses the shredded-coconut binder.

Keep the fish flaked as you mix. You are bringing it together with the eggs and coconut, rather than blending everything into a completely smooth batter. Small fish pieces and coconut shreds should still be visible.

Shape Small, Thick Patties

Roll a golf-ball-sized portion of the mixture, then flatten it to about three-quarters of an inch thick. Keep the patties close to the same size and thickness so that one very thick center is not still waiting while the others brown.

The number of patties depends on the amount of fish and the portions you shape. Four servings is the batch’s serving count, not a promise that it makes four large cakes. Smaller patties also give you room to turn them without pressing against the next one.

Set the shaped patties down while you prepare the oil. Have a broad spatula and a paper-towel-lined plate ready before frying starts. That way, the cooked patties have somewhere to drain as the next batch goes into the skillet.

Fry for Three to Four Minutes Per Side

Melt coconut oil over medium heat in a medium cast-iron skillet. Plan on about one cup, adjusting the amount to reach a half-inch depth of melted oil in your pan. A wider skillet needs more oil for that depth than a smaller one.

Use natural, non-hydrogenated coconut oil for GAPS cooking. The amount in the pan is not the amount each person eats. Some oil remains after frying, so this recipe does not turn that starting quantity into a claim about oil absorbed by the patties.

Lower a patty gently into the oil. The cooking cue is gentle bubbling and browning over about three to four minutes. Keep the heat moderate enough that the outside has time to color without the coconut turning dark immediately.

Add more patties without overlapping or crowding them. Cook three to four minutes on the first side, then support each patty from below with the spatula and turn it. Cook the second side for another three to four minutes.

Check that the egg mixture has set through the center, rather than remaining wet and glossy between the fish flakes. The fish was steamed first, but the eggs were added afterward. Both sides need their frying time.

The card shows eight minutes frying per batch, the upper end of six to eight minutes per skillet batch. Preparation has a twenty-minute planning allowance. Additional batches take additional frying time, so there is no fixed twenty-four-minute promise for the complete recipe.

Drain and Finish With Lemon

Move the browned patties to the paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Continue cooking the remaining mixture in batches. Keep the oil depth at about half an inch; do not pile the uncooked patties into the skillet to finish sooner.

Juice one lemon, remove any seeds, and squeeze or drizzle the juice over the cooked patties before serving. The lemon is the finish, not an extra ingredient mixed into the raw egg-and-fish mixture.

Serve with vegetables for a meal. Roasted cabbage wedges give you a warm vegetable side, while homemade mayonnaise provides a creamy dip if you want one. The mayonnaise is served beside the patties; it is not part of their binder.

Where They Fit on Full GAPS

This recipe fits Full GAPS after the fish, whole eggs, shredded coconut, cooking fat, and lemon have been introduced. The coconut should be unsweetened and free from additives. Coconut oil is a named cooking fat in the 2020 GAPS book.

The base uses no dairy, grain, or almond flour. It does contain eggs and coconut. Shredded coconut is different from a fermented flour preparation, and leaving the fish in flakes is different from using a flour-based batter.

Steaming the fish first does not make the finished fried patties an early Intro dish. If you need a soft fish meal cooked in stock, cod and mushroom soup for Intro Stage 1 is a separate preparation with its own ingredients and instructions.

Store and Reheat Leftovers

Refrigerate cooked leftovers promptly in a shallow covered container. Use within three to four days. Keep the lemon-finished patties together without pressing them into a compact stack while they are still very hot.

Reheat the portion you need in an oven-safe dish until hot throughout. Watch the browned coconut surface as it warms. The original frying range starts with newly formed patties and is not a reheating timer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Coconut Flour?

Use shredded coconut for this version. Coconut flour is more finely processed and is not the same binder at the same quarter-cup measure.

Why Steam the Fish First?

Steaming gives you cooked fish that flakes easily before you add the eggs and coconut. The skillet then browns and sets the shaped mixture.

Does Four Servings Mean Four Patties?

No. Shape small golf-ball-sized portions and flatten them to three-quarters of an inch. Divide the finished batch into four servings; the number of individual patties will vary.

How Is This Different From Salmon Patties?

These start with steamed white fish. Coconut salmon patties with egg use their own salmon preparation and frying instructions. Follow each recipe’s quantities rather than swapping fish and borrowing the other one’s clock.

Recommended Equipment

Use a saucepan with a lid, a steamer basket, a mixing bowl, a fork, measuring spoons and cups, a medium cast-iron skillet, a broad spatula, and a paper-towel-lined plate. My cookware is Le Creuset in Artichaut. Choose a pan that holds the oil and patties comfortably, and work in batches when needed.

More Dinner Ideas

If you want dinner recipes grouped together for meal planning, look for the planned Dinner Cookbook in the WFLI catalog. Pairing a main dish with its vegetables and preparation time is more useful than choosing a recipe from its final few minutes at the stove alone.