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Nut Crusted Fish Strips

September 29, 2010

In my experience, I find that kids either love fish or stay away from it. Never one to give up upon hearing my kids' first "no" to any food they're introduced to, I feel it's important to try and make whatever it is that might seem less appealing to them into something that becomes a heartfelt "yes"!

Sometimes just adding an outer crust to a food -- like fish -- makes it not only look more exciting, but also changes the texture into something fun: crunchy on the outside and smooth on the inside. These Nut Crusted Fish Strips are easy to prepare and can change even the biggest fish avoider into a total seafood convert. Trust the crust!

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Nut Crusted Fish Strips  (Serves 4)

  • Prep Time:5 minutes,
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes,
  • Total Time: 15 minutes,

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fish (cod, tilapia or other boneless white fish), rinsed & patted dry
  • 1/2 cup pecan halves or walnuts
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 egg, whisked

Preparation

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  2. 2. Cut the cod into 3 x 1 inch strips.
  3. 3. Place the nuts, bread crumbs and salt in a food processor and pulse until nuts are coarsely chopped).
  4. 4. Place the flour in a bowl.
  5. 5. Whisk the egg in a second bowl.
  6. 6. Place the pecan mixture in a third bowl.
  7. 7. Lightly coat the cod strips in the flour and gently tap to remove excess flour.
  8. 8. Dip the flour coated cod strips in the egg and then roll in the nut mixture to coat.
  9. 9. Place the cod strips on a rack sprayed or greased with oil over a cookie sheet and when all the cod strips are on the tray, lightly coat with cooking oil spray.
  10. 10. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
  11. 11. Serve.
  12. * To Freeze: After step 8, place nut coated sticks onto a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes. Remove and place in a ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 3 months. When ready, defrost in the fridge over night and follow steps 9-11.
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Comments






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  2. Theresa- http://two-much-fun.blogspot.com/

    March 26, 2012 at 7:50 pm

    Reply

    These were fantastic! We had open bags of walnuts, almonds and pecans in the refrigerator, so I used a combination of the nuts and pulsed them in the food processor. I served this with a lime cilantro sauce and it was gobbled up by meat eater of a 25-month old daughter, almost vegetarian 25-month old son and it’s steak or chicken husband. Thank you for a truly delicious and easy dinner.

  3. anitasc

    May 19, 2011 at 3:55 pm

    Reply

    Going to try these with almonds.. thats all i have right now :)

  4. Rebecca

    March 23, 2011 at 1:56 pm

    Reply

    What’s a good side for this or a sauce to dip it in? Tartar obviously but wondering if theres something else…

  5. Katja

    January 30, 2011 at 10:35 pm

    Reply

    I was also confused by the instructions regarding the rack/sheet. I used a big glass baking pan (the kind used for lasagna) and buttered it. I turned the sticks after about 12 minutes and also cooked them a bit longer (total of 20 minutes) to make sure the fish was totally cooked through, and had a nice crust. I used Haddock (was on sale at Whole Foods and raised sustainably). It is low in mercury, so ok during pregnancy/lactation. Oh, and I added a little bit of ground black pepper to the nut breading. My husband, our two girls (2 and almost 4) loved it!

  6. Shayna

    October 19, 2010 at 10:57 am

    Reply

    I tried these last night and my husband and two kids (4 and 2) loved them. My husband has never been a fan of any kind of fish, he’s a meat lover, but he could not stop saying how much he liked these. Thanks so much for the recipe. This has become my go to site when I am stumped on what to make for dinner for my family.

  7. Gail

    October 14, 2010 at 11:21 pm

    Reply

    So you spray the tray, even though the fish strips are on the rack? And you spray the fish sticks on top of that?

    • catherine

      October 15, 2010 at 12:38 pm

      Reply

      Sorry for the confusion, place the sticks on a rack sprayed or greased with oil over a cookie sheet. You do not spray the tray. :)

  8. Blanca

    October 10, 2010 at 2:50 pm

    Reply

    what are your suggestions on re-heating? for school lunch the next day.

    • catherine

      October 11, 2010 at 2:27 pm

      Reply

      Since you have to pack them in a lunch box with an ice pack, there is no point to reheat since it will get cold again. Kenya eats his lunch at room temperature and he still loves it!

  9. bridget

    October 2, 2010 at 8:45 am

    Reply

    My husband didn’t like the idea of nuts in the breading but I wanted to try these. I made them the other night and my husband and 3 kids (7 and under) loved them. Will definately be making a double batch to freeze half next time. Thanks Catherine!

  10. Denise

    September 30, 2010 at 12:39 pm

    Reply

    Can you freeze these? If so, before or after spraying with cooking spray?

    • catherine

      September 30, 2010 at 2:08 pm

      Reply

      Freeze before baking and before spraying

  11. Karen

    September 30, 2010 at 6:33 am

    Reply

    Looks perfect for my 14 month old daughter. I’m definitely
    going to try this one!Thank you:)

    • Tanesa

      October 5, 2010 at 6:42 pm

      Reply

      Hi Karen,

      I would suggest you wait offering your 14 month old nuts.
      Please research this but I believe the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests avoiding tree nuts and peanuts until your child turns three.

      Unfortunately I had to learn the hard way. I gave my son a taste of a cookie with walnuts at age two and had to take him to emergency for anaphylaxis.

      • Erin

        October 14, 2010 at 2:27 pm

        Reply

        It’s definitely a good idea to talk with your doctor, but the AAP has actually changed their recommendations and no longer recommends waiting to introduce allergenic foods. If there is a history of allergy in your family or if your child has ever reacted to any other foods, you may want to wait awhile, but it’s up to your judgment. My 13 month old daughter has had peanut butter and finely ground walnuts (both since she turned a year) and has had no problems.

    • Karen

      September 30, 2010 at 10:48 am

      Reply

      Do you leave the fish strips on the rack when you put them in the over, or you remove the rack and put the strips on the cookie sheet and then put them in the oven?

      • catherine

        September 30, 2010 at 2:10 pm

        Reply

        Leave them on the rack :)

      • Sean B.

        September 30, 2010 at 12:06 pm

        Reply

        I was wondering the same thing. Or can you bake them on the cookie sheet?

        • catherine

          September 30, 2010 at 2:09 pm

          Baking on a cookie sheet will only over cook one side whereas cooking on a rack will allow even cooking all around, you can do it but a rack is recommended.



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