Easy and delicious, this crispy coconut pan-fried salmon is a winner every time! With minimal prep and only a few paleo-, keto-, and Whole30-friendly ingredients, you wonโt mind making it often.ย
A first time for everything.
The first time I made this recipe, I had a little feeling of trepidation feeding it to my kids for dinner. It was the first time Iโd ever โbreadedโ fish, let alone just used coconut to โbreadโ something. But thereโs a first time for everything, right? And what better time to try first things than when you have a posse of starving children and a husband who doesnโt like fish waiting for dinnerโฆ
Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised by the general love of this meal and the sorrow that there wasnโt more after its quick disappearance!
#unintentionalmomwin
Dinner favorites.
Beside this crispy coconut pan-fried salmon, Iโve got a few more delicious, family-friendly dinners here on the blog. So if youโre looking for some more easy dinners that will put a smile on your familyโs face, here are some fun ones to try!
- White Chicken Chili in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
- Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole
- Beef & Kale Soup in the Instant Pot
- Family Favorite Roast Chicken
- Easy Instant Pot Fried Rice or Quinoa
- Cheesy Veggie Lentil Stew in the Instant Pot
- Easy Instant Pot Eye of Round Roast
- Easy One-Pot Gluten-Free Mac โn Cheese with Hidden Veggies
- Sloppy Joe Baked Potatoes
- Gluten-Free Porcupine Meatballs with Pan Gravy
Salmon, or tilapia?
If youโve been around this blog for a loooong time (like I haveโฆ) you might remember a little olโ recipe I posted way back when. It was called crispy coconut fried tilapia. And it was delicious.
But since then Iโve pretty much stopped eating tilapia. Not because Iโm up on all the hype that itโs as awful as garbage, but because I canโt find any of good quality. Salmon, on the other hand, can be found wil- caught and frozen at my local wonderful Aldi.
ย And I just happen to love salmon waaaaay more than tilapia anyway.
If you love tilapia more than salmon, or you have a good source for quality tilapia, you can go ahead and use that instead. Itโs pretty yummy!
Crispy Coconut Pan-Fried Salmon.
This recipe is super-d-duper simple, as my kids say. And if you count all the variations of coconut in this recipe as one ingredient, then itโs really only a 2 ingredient recipe, also! Coconut oil, coconut flour, shredded coconutโฆ itโs all coconut, right? So bread up your salmon with all those coconut parts, pan-fry, and squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on top.
I guarantee it will be a hit!
In the recipe card Iโve linked to some of the products from my affiliate partners that I like to use. Purchasing through these links wonโt cost you anything extra. Thanks!
Crispy Coconut Pan-Fried Salmon
ย Free of grain, gluten, eggs, dairy & sugar.
Ingredients
- 4 fresh or thawed wild-caught salmon fillets
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/4 cup coconut milk (I like to make my own)
- 1/4 cup coconut flourย
- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (I usually get mine from Azure Standard)
- Himalayan salt & pepper, to taste
- 1 lemon, sliced into wedges (optional)
Instructions
Heat the coconut oil in skillet over medium-low heat (I use my cast iron skillet).
Set out two shallow dishes or bowls, one with coconut milk, and one with the coconut flour, shredded coconut, salt, and pepper.
Dip the fish in the coconut milk then coat with coconut mixture.
Fry in the coconut oil until the salmon is golden-browned and flakey. (This takes about 2-3 minutes per side, depending on how thick your fillets are.)
Serve with a squeeze of lemon, if desired.
This is delish looking! I can’t wait to try.
Thanks, Tina! I hope you get to enjoy it!
LOVE this super easy fuss free breading for salmon – I have big time fish lover kids and they will really like this! Thanks!
Thanks, Renee! I’m so with you on the super easy. ๐ I hope your kids enjoy this!
I have yet to convince my kids that salmon is a good idea…maybe crispy and fried will be the trick! It is so pretty!
Haha! My kids are like that with most fish, too. They love salmon, though!
This looks so good, that coconut breading would convince anyone to love fish for sure!
Thanks, Kari!
WOW!!! SO yummy! I’m intimidated because I’ve never made anything like this, but you make it look so easy and SO golden & pretty! So impressive and yummy! My family will love this. Definitely going to make it!
Thank you, Megan! I hope you and your family enjoy it! It really is so easy. ๐
This looks amazing and I’ve put it on the menu for later this week! Thanks for sharing!
I hope you enjoy it, Jennifer!
I love the crust on this and that I can also use my cast iron skillet. Great recipe!
Thank you, Stacey!
I am always looking for new salmon recipes and this one sounds delicious!
Thanks, Anne!
Such a genius idea to use coconut shreds for breading! This looks so crispy and amazing.
Thanks, Jean! The coconut crisps up so wonderfully!
This looks like my kind of dinner – yum! Love how crispy that salmon looks, will be making this over Easter!
I hope you enjoy it, Hope!
It can be so hard to get a crispy crust on foods using paleo ingredients so thanks for showing how easy it is!
My pleasure! ๐
I am adoring salmon lately, and this sounds so good! Thanks for a recipe even the Frenchman will eat!
Thanks, Heather! I hope you and your Frenchman enjoy it! ๐
This looks awesome! Excited to try!
I hope you get to enjoy it!
You had me at crispy! So delicious!
Thanks, ChihYu! Crispy is a hit with me, too. ๐
Love the combo of salmon and coconut. Trying!
I hope you enjoy it, Kiran!
This looks SO good!!!!
I cannot wait to try it.
Need to pin this one under my “MAKE ASAP” list!
Thanks, Carol! I hope you get to enjoy it!
This looks so delicious, love the coating!
Thanks, Carina!
Planning to make this tonight. Has anyone made this in an air fryer? I’m curious if there is any change to the recipe and still keeping it clean.
Thanks so much for this.
To the best of my knowledge, nobody has tried this in the air fryer. If you want to try it, I would suggest finding a recipe for air fryer salmon and just using those instructions with these ingredients. Hope it works well for you!
Iโm confused. Will 2-3 minutes really cook the fish completely? Sorry, first time cooking fish.
Haha. No worries! Thawed fish cooks pretty quickly. So, depending on the size of your fillet, 3 minutes per side (6 minutes total cook time) could definitely cook the fish through. ๐ If you’re worried about it, you can just stick a fork in it and see if it looks flaky when you gently twist the fork. If it looks really wet, just cook it another minute or so. ๐
This sounds so great! We have it planned for tonight. Just curious, do you leave skin on or take it off before dipping it in the mixture? Thank you!
I usually leave the skin on, I don’t mind eating it. ๐ I hope you enjoy the salmon, Emily!
I made this tonight for one serving size. The crust fell off in places. I added olive oil so it didnโt burn. I cooked it longer. It didnโt look great. BUT IT WAS SOOO GOOD! I ate the whole thing and all evening keep saying โthat was so good!โ Thanks for the recipe. Excellent!
Hahaha! I’m so glad you ended up enjoying it!