When I was little there was nothing I hated more then the nights that my parents went out (this was before I was a teenager, mind you). But I dreaded these nights not because they were leaving or that I would have to stuck with a babysitter, but because by 5:30pm, my brother and I would be sitting at the dinner table with our frozen fish sticks dinners in front of us. They were always soggy, drenched in salty breadcrumbs and tasted more like chicken and fillers then fish. In fact, after speaking with many people, it became very apparent to me that fish sticks are a lot of people’s introduction to fish, thus triggering a childhood disdain for fish in general. I knew I couldn’t inflict the same torture on my son.
I had so much fun coming up with this recipe and it was much less expensive buying fresh fish and a big bag of panko then buying a frozen tv dinner with a measly 8 sticks inside.
I’ve also been using a salt free seasoning lately called Vegit (also known as Spike). It’s a really great option when you want to add extra flavor to your little ones dish without a lot of salt. There’s only 15 milligrams of sodium per 1/8 teaspoon and it’s packed with nutritional yeast and dried herbs.
I think these would be great to serve at a little ones birthday party or even better, when you go out and the kids want a special treat.

Fish Sticks (Make 8-10 Sticks)

1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat or Brown Rice Breadcrumbs*
1 Tsp Vegit
1 Egg
1/2 Lb. Fish (tilapia, opah or any firm white fish will do), cut into
1/2 inch sticks
2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil

1. Place the flour and breadcrumbs in separate bowls.
2. Whisk the egg in another bowl.
3. First roll the fish sticks in the flour then the egg and finally in
the breadcrumbs. If you keep one hand dry it will prevent your hands and
the fish sticks from becoming clumpy with breadcrumbs.
4. Place on a plate until all of the fish sticks are lightly coated.
5. Heat 1-2 Tbsp of the oil in a saute pan over medium heat.
6. Cook half of the fish sticks for 2-3 minutes until golden.
7. Turn them and cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes or until fully
cooked through.
8. Repeat with remaining oil and fish sticks.
9. Cool and serve.

*You can find both of these items at Wholefoods and many health food stores

Tags: easy recipes, fast recipes, fish, fish sticks, healthy recipes, homemade babyfood, recipes for moms, toddlers food

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at 1:13 pm and is filed under All Recipes, Meats and Proteins, Toddler Bites. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.