EatingWell Fish Sticks

Rating: 4.8 stars
30 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 24
  • 4 star values: 6
  • 3 star values: 0
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0

You can make these homemade fish sticks in about the same amount of time it takes to bake a box of the frozen kind--with a fraction of the fat.

EatingWell Test Kitchen
Source: EatingWell Magazine, January/February 2010

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Recipe Summary

total:
40 mins
Servings:
4
Nutrition Profile:
Low-Calorie
Dairy-Free
Bone Health
Healthy Aging
Low Added Sugars
Nutrition Info
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Set a wire rack on a baking sheet; coat with cooking spray.

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  • Place breadcrumbs, cereal flakes, lemon pepper, garlic powder, paprika and salt in a food processor or blender and process until finely ground. Transfer to a shallow dish.

  • Place flour in a second shallow dish and egg whites in a third shallow dish. Dredge each strip of fish in the flour, dip it in the egg and then coat all sides with the breadcrumb mixture. Place on the prepared rack. Coat both sides of the breaded fish with cooking spray.

  • Bake until the fish is cooked through and the breading is golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes.

Tips

Ingredient notes: We like Ian's brand of coarse dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs, labeled “Panko breadcrumbs.” Find them in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets. To make your own breadcrumbs, trim crusts from firm sandwich bread. Tear the bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. (To make fine dry breadcrumbs, process until very fine.) Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 250°F until dry, about 10 to 15 minutes. One slice of bread makes about 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs.

U.S. farm-raised tilapia is a better choice for the environment because it is usually grown in closed farming systems that limit pollution.

Easy cleanup: Recipes that require cooking spray can leave behind a sticky residue that can be hard to clean. To save time and keep your baking sheet looking fresh, line it with a layer of foil before you apply the cooking spray.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 6 fish sticks
Per Serving:
303 calories; protein 30.7g 61% DV; carbohydrates 37g 12% DV; exchange other carbs 2.5; dietary fiber 4g 16% DV; sugars 2.1g; fat 4.3g 7% DV; saturated fat 0.8g 4% DV; cholesterol 56.7mg 19% DV; vitamin a iu 142.4IU 3% DV; vitamin cmg; folate 73.8mcg 18% DV; calcium 19.5mg 2% DV; iron 1.8mg 10% DV; magnesium 46.1mg 17% DV; potassium 427.8mg 12% DV; sodium 372.9mg 15% DV; thiamin 0.2mg 21% DV.
Exchanges:

2 starch, 3 lean

Reviews (30)

Read More Reviews
30 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 24
  • 4 star values: 6
  • 3 star values: 0
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0
Reviews:
Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest
Susie Tudor Lea
Rating: 5 stars
04/12/2019
This recipe is awesome. I used lake perch which I skinned. I used toasted wheat germ and whole wheat panko. Cooked according to directions except I noticed the bottom side was a little damp so I flipped them over and baked them another 3 minutes so they d get a little crispier. Served this with a little avocado lime mayo dill pickles and hot sauce. Side salad was spinach egg and beets with a very light honey mustard yogurt dressing. Read More
Kim P.
Rating: 4 stars
10/22/2018
Came out very crispy! Note to self - kids didn't like the cod - try w/ different fish next time Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
08/17/2012
Love them! These were fabulous! We can't wait to make them again. They turned out crispy and super flavorful however I did add some of my own chesapeake bay seafood seasoning and a bit more salt. I ran out of the breadcrumb flake mix so I'd make more of that next time around. But they really were amazing. We had them as a leftover the next night by making fish tacos with them. Still delicious. I'll be making these again for sure! Cons: I ran out of the breadcrumb mix before they were all dipped. Read More
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EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
08/03/2012
Quick and easy and my toddler loved them! My toddler and even tough critic husband loved them. I didn't have corn flakes and used corn chex instead and they turned out great. Used my magic bullet to blend the coating till fine. Pros: Easy and basic ingredients Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
07/19/2012
I was skeptical but So good and SO crispy This recipe was absolutely on point! But i did change some things.. First I added a t sugar and a little bit more garlic salt lemon pepper and paprika second I used plain panko bread crumbs! I also cooked them for about 8 minutes longer than the recipe said ( that is using the listed servings) because i like my fish sticks a little bit firmer! I also gave them a toss half way through! I served with peas and ketchup( because my mom used to serve me ketchup with fish sticks!). I LOVED IT! and I am a very tough critic when it comes to fish and the fishiness of fish! YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS! Pros: very crispy i served with peas Cons: cooked longer than recipe said to! Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
07/16/2012
My 3.5 yr old LOVED these!!!! Wonderful recipe! I did make some changes after reading the reviews. We used the Toasted Wheat Germ instead of cereal flakes. I used Whole Wheat Flour and the Ian's Panko Bread Crumbs. Loved the flavor. My 3 yr old helped make them and he asked for seconds (which never happens). I didn't have garlic powder and used Adobo seasoning instead. I will definitely bank this and use it again and again! Pros: picky-eater friendly easy to make Read More
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EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
07/07/2012
AMAZING HEALTHY Satisfying! I used cheap frosted flakes and was awesome! Pros: easy to make had all ingreients at my house cooks fast! Boyfriend and friends loved it Cons: a little messy Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
03/08/2012
We made these using bran flakes and they were delicious paired with malt vinegar. My toddler ate them up and so did I. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
01/27/2012
Delicious and crispy fish sticks. II was afraid that my six year old would not like them because I don't feed him fish very much but he was the one who enjoyed them the most. I would recommend this recipe to any mom who buys fish sticks from the grocery store. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
01/08/2012
A hit The kids enjoyed as did the adults. Nice to have a crispy crust without any grease. Pros: Very crispy easy to make Read More
lackeyj@gmail.com
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
These were kind of a lot of work more than I expected anyway. Having to dip each tilapia strip in flour - then egg - then the crumb/spice mixture got messy I found I would have to wash my hand before starting again every time. Then at the end you are supposed to coat the bottom and top of the fish sticks with cooking spray. I am not sure how one person would spray the bottom of the rack by themselves... I had my husband hold it up in the air while I sprayed underneath. But it got a thumbs up from my husband and they ARE delicious. I whipped up a quick tartar sauce with a miracle whip/dill pickle relish/ground pepper combo. Will definitely make these again. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
i tried the recipe and it is easy enough and tasty. i think the author of the previous comment must not cook very often since they found it such a big pain. who has ever heard of washing their hands between breading each piece of fish? obviously you would do all of them and let it get a bit messy and just clean up at the end. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
took more than 40 minutes to prepare and came out to be blant. If I decide to make them again I would use more than 1/4 teaspoonful of salt. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
Easy and yummy. The crunchiest baked "fried" food I've tasted and flavorful enough to forgo the tartar sauce! Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
Had these last night and they were delicious! So good I'm making the coating up in a big batch to have on hand so I can whip these up even quicker next time. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
This was much better than processed fish sticks. I'm not a huge fan of tilapia either but I think this is my favorite tilapia recipe ever. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
I am glad to find this for my families I cook for with children. They strugglewith their picky eaters like everyone does. I can't wait to try this out. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
these were great! i used cod fillets panko bread crumbs and italian spice mix. dipping in 3 bowls was not a problem (use a fork if concerned about keeping fingers clean!) and just spray the tops. my family loved these-i will make these often! Read More
tplus
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
Great tasting! I'm not usually a big fish/seafood lover but these were great nice and crispy. Read More
loveemom@gmail.com
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
I made these and everyone loved them! My 21 month old daughter called them "cookies" bit into them and said "Yumm!" None of us really like fish too much but these were not fishy tasting at all! I did make a few changes. 1) Used Salmon -its what we had on hand. 2) Used Total Cereal for the flakes -added boost of nutrition. 3) Used Garlic Salt instead of garlic powder or regular salt. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
Loved these! Not too tricky to make but not something you make on a night when you are in a big hurry but they weren't hard. I tried the suggestion from an earlier comment about using total cereal flakes for the cereal flakes. I loved them and more importantly my 17 month old daughter liked them too! Will totally make again. Very crispy & tasty! Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
Tilapia is a horrible farm-raised fish. But I would try this with a good SEA fish - maybe cod. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
I liked it - it was easy. The texture and color was great! But it needed more salt. My three kids 8 10 and 12 fnished them all - so they had to be good! Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
This recipe sounds great! Im just curious about the nutrition facts. How many pieces of fish equals a serving? Jessica Read More
katiedid@gmail.com
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
These were really good! We used cod because that's what we had in the house at the time but I bet they would be even better with tilapia. I was surprised at how crispy they were though I might put a little more of the spices in next time for more flavor. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
My kids loved this and I loved that I know what is in it unlike the frozen fish sticks you get at the grocery store. Will make it again! Read More
blangston
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
Very tasty! I wasn't expecting the fish to taste this good but the spice combination was very flavorful. I served mine with homemade tartar sauce. Way better than frozen fish sticks! Read More
tgwhitney101
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
I know this is suppose to be a comment section... but I have a question:) Could these be frozen prepared but uncooked? If so how would the cooking instructions change if I were to cook them out of the freezer. This is a perfect thing to make ahead and have on hand for those crazy busy nights. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
Maybe it's just the taste of the Tilapia but I thought these were awful.... Coating did crisp up well but not much flavor. Read More
cwooten@uspi.com
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
Homemade Fish Sticks!! I made these fish stick tonight for dinner and they were very good. The crust was crunchy however it was rather bland. I only make a couple of changes I made my own breadcrumbs and I used toasted wheat germ instead of flake cereal cause that's what I had on hand. I will definitely make again and even my 3 yr old that they were good. Thanks for a help another way to get my son to eat fish.:) Pros: Healthy Simple Flexible Cons: Prep time Read More
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