Homemade Fish Fingers

Diet: Low Fat

These Homemade Fish Fingers (Fish Sticks) are easy, delicious and a great recipe for kids to help make. These crispy fish fingers are baked too, and are healthier than store bought. Put them in a sandwich, serve with a salad and chips or just dip them in your favourite sauce.

Two plates with fish sticks, fries and peas next to a bowl of tartar sauce.

These easy homemade fish fingers are made with just 4 ingredients and are a great way to get more fish in to kids diets. Not just for kids, these crispy breaded fish sticks go great with homemade chips and vegetables for a dinner that will take you bake to your school days.

Jump to:

Step by step
Why should you try it?
What fish is best?
Fish finger coating
What to serve these with
FAQs
Extra tips
More fish recipes
Recipe
Feedback

Step by step

One: Firstly, cut your fish fillet into long finger-sized strips.

Two: Coat each piece of fish in flour, dip in the egg then cover in breadcrumbs.

A plate of fish fillets, a plate of flour, a plate of breadcrumbs and a bowl of whisked egg.

Three: Place on a lined baking tray.

Homemade fish sticks on a lined baking tray.

Four: Bake at 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 for 15-20 minute, until cooked through and golden.

Nine cooked fish sticks on a baking tray with four lemon wedges.

Why should you try it?

Kid friendly
Just 4 ingredients
Freeze well and can be cooked from frozen
A great way to get kids to eat more fish
Can be made with cod, haddock or salmon

What fish is best?

It is best to use a firm white fish such as cod, halibut, pollock or tilapia. Whichever fish you decide to use, try to find fish fillets that are nice and thick, as these will be able to get a good sized "finger/stick".

To prepare the fish it is recommended to sprinkle the fish with salt and leaving for 20-30 minutes. This will help the fish firm up and also increase the flavour. This step is totally optional though and will obviously increase the salt content.

You could even follow this recipe with using salmon fillets.

Fish finger coating

To get that lovely golden coating, you can combine the breadcrumbs with some paprika and turmeric. Fish finger coating should cover the fish completely, so a fine breadcrumb is best. If the breadcrumbs are too coarse, a nice even coating won't be achieved.

Panko breadcrumbs will give a lovely crunch to the coating, but if using Panko, it is best to grind them a bit first, to make them finer. We used tiger loaf bread, which is nice and buttery.

What to serve these with

Fish fingers, chips and peas! It's as traditionally British as roast beef and Yorkshire puddings! Our Air Fryer Chips are the perfect accompaniment to fish fingers. You could serve these fish fingers with our creamy mashed potatoes, some vegetables and of course, some ketchup to dip in to.

Another perfect accompaniment to these fish sticks is some tartar sauce. You can, of course use store bought, but we have made our own tangy tartar sauce that goes great with many fish recipes. To make the sauce mix together 8 tablespoon mayonnaise, 2 chopped gherkins, 2 tablespoon chopped capers, some chopped parsley, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

A bowl of chopped pickles, herbs and mayonnaise.

FAQs

Can fish fingers be microwaved?

Fish fingers can be cooked in the microwave, but they will never get the crispy coating that comes with baking of frying. They only take 3-5 minutes depending on how powerful your microwave is. Remember to turn halfway and be prepared for a fishy smell to linger around your microwave for a while afterwards.

Can babies eat fish fingers?

Fish fingers are a favourite when weaning children. They make perfect finger food as they are nice and soft and make are great for baby-led weaning. Wait until your baby can easily eat solids - we suggest trying him/her on fish fingers at around 8 months old.

Can homemade fish fingers be frozen?

To freeze uncooked fish fingers, line a baking tray with cling film (Saran Wrap) and put the fish fingers on top. Cover with wrap and freeze until completely frozen, then transfer to freezer bags. To freeze cooked fish fingers, let them cool completely and then transfer to freezer bags. In both instances, the fish fingers will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure you label if the have been cooked or not.

How to cook homemade fish fingers from frozen?

One of the great things about these fish fingers is that they can be cooked straight from the freezer, without needing to defrost first.
To cook, preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Lay the frozen fish fingers on a wire rack on top of a of a baking tray (to catch any loose crumbs).
If previously un-cooked, cook for about 20 minutes, turning halfway through. If they have been cooked previously, cook for 10-12 minutes, turning halfway. Make sure they are completely cooked through before serving.

Extra tips

• To get an even crisper coating, you can shallow fry these fish fingers, but this will increase the calories.
• It is best to use a firm white fish such as cod, halibut, pollock or tilapia.

More fish recipes

If you’ve tried this homemade fish finger recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

Recipe