Frozen fish sticks out of a box? Yucky! Homemade Fish Sticks with a Creamy Dip on the side? Yummy!
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 be 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 breadcrumbs 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
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, breadcrumbs and Vegit.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg.
- Dip the fish sticks in the egg, then coat with the flour mixture. If you keep one hand dry it will prevent your hands and the fish sticks from becoming clumpy with breadcrumbs.
- Place on a plate until all of the fish sticks are lightly coated.
- Heat 1-2 Tbsp of the oil in a saute pan over medium heat.
- Cook half of the fish sticks for 2-3 minutes until golden.
- Turn them and cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes or until fully
- cooked through.
- Repeat with remaining oil and fish sticks.
- Cool and serve.
- *You can find both of these items at Wholefoods and many health food stores
Yay so great!
My picky 2 year old loved these! Thanks for another great recipe!
[…] 2 Dinners Monday – Fish sticks, oven fries, roasted […]
[…] Packed with protein and other essential nutrients, fish is a true super food. But, most kids (and adults) don’t eat as much fish as nutritionists or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommend. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage adults to consume between 8 to 12 ounces a week, and children as young as three to eat 3 to 6 ounces weekly. But fish can be a tough sell, often because grown-ups aren’t sure how to cook it. In this guest post, Parents contributing editor Catherine McCord shares one of her favorite easy fish recipes. This post originally appeared on weelicious.com. […]
Hi! I was just wondering if I can follow the same recipe to make a tilapia sandwich?
These were a hit! I had my son help me by shaking the fish in the breadcrumbs in a zipped baggie. I served with a yogurt dip and ketchup to give him a choice and he gobbled them up! They were super easy and I’m looking forward to having them in my freezer.
Can you make this with salmon or does it have to be a whitefish?
You can use any salt-free seasoning!
Hi, what can I replace Vegit with if I don´t have it? Thanks! 🙂
I haven’t tried freezing them after cooking, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. I say give it a try!
What if you’ve cooked them, and they weren’t all eaten. What now? Will freezing work?
Oops. Try not buy! 🙂
I just wanted to update my post to say that I made these fish sticks using the 2 steps from the video with wild snapper fillets (3 big ones) and the kids ate every last bite of fish. I couldn’t believe it. My daughter had a friend over who told me she didn’t like fish but was ok with fish sticks. She had 5 pieces. 🙂 I will use this recipe again for sure!
Just wondering why this recipe is different than the video? And how it affects the how the fish crisps up? In the video version, you dip it in egg and then the breadcrumb/flour/vegit mixture. You reduce it to 2 steps instead of 3. I’m going to go buy the video version (I am all for 2 steps instead of 3) but I was just wondering why the difference! Thanks!
Ok, made these for the second time last night only used panko instead of breadcrumbs. Amazing!!!!! Really loved the crunchy coating that panko gives it.