Growing up, I always had this fear of fish sticks.
My family didn’t eat a lot of fish and I remember going to friend’s houses after their fish-stick suppers and thinking that the whole house smelled incredibly fishy and gross…
But, as I’ve matured a bit (and thanks to my hubby), I’ve learned to embrace a wider variety of seafood and yes, even enjoy it.
I came across a recipe for homemade fish sticks a couple months ago, and my initial reaction was, “Ewww! Gross!” That is, until I remembered that I am an adult and I actually do like most fish now, and the recipe might be worth a try.
And boy oh boy, am I glad I did! After some tweaks and adjustments, this fish recipe has been a huge hit at our house. Prairie Baby gobbles them up, and hubby gave them an instant seal of approval.
Next time you are in the mood for fish sticks, give this recipe a try instead of grabbing those preservative-laden, mystery-meat sticks at the store. You’ll be glad you did!
Homemade Fish Sticks
You will need:
- 1/2 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour (You could probably use whole wheat flour here too.)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 t. sea salt
- 1/2 t. paprika
- 1 T. lemon juice
- 1/4 t. black pepper
- 3/4 lb cod fillets (I usually use 3 fillets for our family- one for each person. Well, hubby usually steals some of Prairie Baby’s…)
Cut the cod into roughly 1″ strips. (They don’t have to be perfect. Please, do not get your ruler…)
Place the flour in one bowl.
Place the beaten eggs and lemon juice in a second bowl.
Place the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, paprika, and pepper in a third bowl.
Now dip each fish strip in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumb mixture, got it?
Flour, egg, breadcrumb. Flour, egg, breadcrumb. Say it with me…
Place the strips on a well-buttered baking sheet. Give them a little space to keep them from touching.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the baking. You’ll know they are done when the fish easily flakes when you poke it with a fork.
How easy is that? Seriously, the hardest part is trying to avoid breading your fingers while you bread the fish. It’s somewhat unavoidable, so just stop halfway through to wash your hands and start again. But it’s a small price to pay for the most delicious fish sticks ever. Really.
Fish sticks don’t have to be a “junk food.” Prepared this way, they are incredibly good for you. And if you want to be extra rebellious, whip up a batch of french fries fried in homemade beef tallow to go with them. Oh my goodness………….
If you are looking for another fish recipe for your cod or tilapia, check out my Parmesan Encrusted Fish Fillet recipe. It was instrumental in my fish conversion. 
This post was shared at: Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, Women Living Well, Healthy 2Day Wednesdays, Real Food Wednesday, Raising Homemakers, Simple Lives Thursday, Live Renewed, Homemaker’s Challenge, Everyday Tastes, Fresh Bites, Living Well Hop, Monday Mania, Better Mom Monday Linkup, Traditional Tuesday, AP Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday
Twitter: naturetwit
says:
These look so yummy! Also, I laughed out loud at this: ““Ewww! Gross!” That is, until I remembered that I am an adult” – I forget this simple fact of life multiple times per day.
Erin D. recently posted..Prepping for Live Nude Chick(en) Cam!
Twitter: CommonSenseIdea
says:
I might even be able to get my husband (the non-fish eater) to eat these. They look lovely!
Laurie recently posted..Chia-Blueberry Porridge
hahaha….please don’t get out your ruler…..how did you know???
I only know because I would have whipped out my ruler first thing! ha!
Love this! Also, you can sub the flour and egg for plain yogurt. So, just dip in yogurt and seasoned breadcrumbs. Or, ideally, let the fish (or chicken) marinate in the yogurt for a couple of hours in the fridge, and then dredge in the breadcrumbs. Delicious, with a little bit of tang!
Great tip Kristi! Thanks for sharing!
These look fabulous! Do you know if these are able to be made ahead and frozen (for the convenience of frozen fish sticks)? As a busy working wife outside of the home, I’m always looking for ways to make homemade, real food meals in a way that matches the convenience in preparation of the store bought convenience foods.
Hi Kara,
Hmmm….good question! I’m assuming they would freeze ok, but can’t say for absolute sure… Anybody else know?
They look so tasty! I can’t wait to try them. Thank you!
Twitter: SteMulle
says:
This looks so good! Perfect post for me today. I have some Alaska Halibut that I need to cook tonight. Thanks so much!! Love your blog and your eBook!
Stephanie recently posted..Simple Tip Tuesday
Thanks Stephanie- yum, I love halibut!
Love these! Can’t wait to try some with sprouted flour or brown rice flour (what I can eat) And the picture with potatoes and a side of green beans is also our standard fare as well! Keep on keepin’ with the good work, Prairie Girl!!!
Oh yeah, I think they’d definitely work with the alternative flours. I am a big potato fan- coming from Idaho and all!
Thanks for this recipe! It looks so good.
These look good! I’ll have to try making them gluten free!
Kathryn recently posted..Oatmeal Cookies
These look great! I am going to try it!
Shay recently posted..Chocolate Donuts
I want to try these so bad!
Tabitha recently posted..Juppy Baby Walker Review {and Giveaway!}
Looks delicious! I will definitely be giving these a shot. Thanks for sharing!
Keri recently posted..Attitude: It’s Everything!
These look yummy! Thanks for the recipe. I can’t wait to try them!
This looks delish! I just picked up some fish from costco, I was planning on making some fish tacos.My husband and I met in Mexico, working at an orphanage. I had first taco from a vendor on the street. My first reaction was ewww gross, but everyone said differently…so I tried my first fish taco and was simply amazed! I now try many fish dishes and this is one looks great. Thanks, 4 another great recipe!
I tried my very first fish taco last summer! Just like you, I had always thought they sounded gross, but it loved it after I tried it!
Twitter: Laurelofleaves
says:
“Please, do not get your ruler.” Duly noted!
I have to admit, I was one of those children who ate frozen fish sticks on a regular basis. But these are grown-up fish sticks! They look fantastic! I’m glad to have another way to cook fish. I usually get stuck in a rut, so we don’t eat it very often at our house. Thanks!
Lori recently posted..A Glance in the Rearview Mirror: February 2012
I want to try this because it looks definitely delicious!Thanks for the idea!
I just found your website and I think everything looks delicious!!! Where do you get your beef tallow? I want to start cooking with it (for now we stick to grass fed butter and olive oil, generally) but I can’t find it in my area!
Hi Jaime,
We recently butchered our steer, so I harvested the fat from that. I have a whole post on it here: http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2012/02/how-to-render-beef-tallow.html
Those look REALLY delicious, and I’m going to try them soon! Thanks.
Jill recently posted..“Think Spring” Lilla Rose Giveaway
I don’t cook fish often, but these look great! Would they be fine if I cooked them and then let them sit in the oven on warm for an hour or so?
Hi Hollie,
I think they’d be ok- might not be quite as crispy, but otherwise, I bet they’d be fine.
These look yummy! I like the idea of having a fried sort of fish without all the oil.
Abbi recently posted..Family and Friends~ Visiting and having visitors~ Sickness and health. It has been busy lately.
Can’t wait to try these with mac & cheese!!! What I do when breading is designate one hand to be the dry hand (flour and bread crumbs) and the other is the wet (egg).
I like your designated hand idea! I always start off with good intentions like that, but end up going too fast and making a huge mess, ha!
Made these yesterday- they were so good! My husband said they were the best fish sticks he has ever had. I used fresh caught cod and I did make a tartar sauce http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/homemade_tartar_sauce/
Thanks for the recipe!
Awesomeness! Thanks for the tartar sauce recipe, too! My hubby has been begging me to make some of that as well!
Just had to tell you we’ve made these twice since I found your recipe. Really good! Look forward to more of your recipes (:
Oh yay! So glad you are enjoying them! They are definitely a fav at our house!