Fish sticks as you’ve never had them! These are easy to make and taste fantastic. Serve them with homemade ketchup and fries.–Bryn Williams
LC Fish Sticks Are For Kids? Note
Wait just a second before you come down on us for feeding kids fish sticks. We’re proponents of feeding kids real foods, not just dummied-down versions of real foods. But when you think about it, how much more real does it get than fish, bread crumbs, and lemon? (Okay, and maybe a little ketchup—homemade or Heinz, it’s up to you.)
Fish Sticks Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 4 fillets lemon sole or other firm yet delicately flavored white fish such as flounder or cod, skinless and halved lengthwise or cut into strips
- 2 cups panko or dried bread crumbs
- Mild vegetable oil for frying
- Lemon wedges and ketchup, for serving
Directions
- 1. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Then season the beaten eggs with salt and pepper. Working with 1 piece of fish at a time, gently coat the fish with the flour, shaking off any excess, then dip it into the beaten egg, coating it well. Finish the fish stick by rolling the sole in the bread crumbs. Repeat.
- 2. Heat about 1/4 inch oil in a large, deep-sided skillet until hot but not smoking. Fry the fish strips in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides and cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Transfer the fish sticks to paper towels to drain.
- 3. Season the fish sticks with salt and serve with the lemon wedges and ketchup.
Hungry for more? Chow down on these:
- Spicy Fish Sticks from Angie's Recipes
- Crispy Fish Fingers from Aggie's Kitchen
- Chicken Fingers from Leite's Culinaria
- Salmon Fish Fingers with Asparagus and Spring Peas from Leite's Culinaria
Fish Sticks Recipe © 2012 Bryn Williams. Photo © 2012 Jonathan Gregson. All rights reserved.
[Joan Osborne] I used white fish for this recipe and chose to panfry instead of deep-fry. I loved the crispness of this and how quickly they were done. The lemon juice at the end gave them a brightness.
[Jennifer V.] Never purchase fish sticks again! With this recipe, making fish sticks is very simple, and you’ve the added benefit of knowing exactly what kind of fish is going into them. Rather than deep-frying them, I panfried them in about a 1/4 inch of oil, and I suspect that they could be baked as well. In the future, I’d consider adding some seasonings to the panko crumbs (or breadcrumbs, but I prefer the texture of panko)—maybe some fresh herbs or some spices, depending on the fish. Topped with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, this makes for a great anytime meal.
[Renee H.] Fish is considered the “F” word in this house. Over the years I’ve prepared various types using various preparations and all for naught. My picky duo was never impressed and would eat nary a nibble. Well, times they are a-changin’. My white fish of choice was tilapia since it was on sale, and I made my own breadcrumbs using the remains of a stale baguette. I fried the fish in olive oil since I’m trying to count calories and didn’t think it’d adversely affect the outcome of the fish, which it didn’t. The Fancy Fish Sticks weren’t overly fancy, but they were golden and crisp on the outside, tender and flaky on the inside. I made a dipping sauce using a reduced-cal mayo, a smashed garlic clove, some lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and served the fish with a side of steamed white rice and a spinach salad. It was a hit! Not sure I’ll bust out the fancy china for these sticks, but I’m thrilled to have a fish recipe that’s a family fave!
[Linda Pacchiano] We often make fish this way. It’s a surefire method for making fried fish that’s delicious and appealing to all ages. I used cod, which is a bit thicker than flounder or sole. The fish was light, moist, and creamy with a nice crisp crust. A skillet with about a 1/4 inch of oil worked perfectly for panfrying. We served it with the Broccoli Rabe with Roasted Garlic, a perfect accompaniment.
[Ayanna Fews] These were really quite tasty! I used larger tilapia fillets and cut each fillet in half twice to make them more “fish stick” size. I seasoned the flour and eggs well so that it’d season the fish nicely. I used breadcrumbs from some French bread I had from a couple days before. I opted to cook the fish in a frying pan with a little oil. They came out really nicely browned. They really do look like the old-fashioned fish sticks—yes a little more “fancy,” but I did find myself picking them up and eating them with my hands, just like old times!
[Sofia Reino] A very easy and simple recipe. You get extremely crisp, moist fish sticks in a matter of minutes. I’m not a big fan of fried food, but I actually loved them. I used gluten-free flour and panko. What I did notice though is that I had to beat another egg last-minute and use a bit more panko; on the other hand I didn’t have to use as much flour.
[Jackie B.-P.] I liked the idea of making fish sticks at home with simple ingredients. This recipe and technique worked really well. I don’t have a deep-fryer so I used the panfry method and made sure to carefully turn the fish a few times while it cooked. The outside crisped up perfectly and the sole was moist, tender, and flaky on the inside. I’ll definitely make these again. I served the fish with homemade tartar sauce and wedges of lemon. The only change I’d make would be to cut back on the amount of flour and breadcrumbs the recipe calls for. I ended up tossing out at least 2/3 of each and that seems too wasteful to me.
I might have grown up Catholic…and my Aunt Jane might be Sister Mary Lizette…so you know I had PLENTY of fish sticks in the day…and you know what? I loved them, the frozen, tasteless knobs of mostly breading…although maybe I really loved tartar sauce?
These are what I’m craving now, though…I need to call my aunt and serve her an old-fashioned Friday dinner!
Barb, I’m glad (and a little envious) that you weren’t traumatized by the fish sticks of your childhood. Let us know how Friday dinner goes!
I left a comment yesterday but it’s disappeared :( About being the kid who only ate fish in the form of fish sticks when I was little. About being the kid sitting at the dining table until dinner time on Good Friday as I struggled to eat my fish lunch. About being the adult learning to love fish but secretly still loving fish sticks ;) And how I need these in my life, obviously!
Also: How can I be a recipe tester???
Love that, Mardi. As for being one of our recipe testers, woohoo! Beth Price, our Queen of Recipe Testing, will be in touch….