Virtually all kids (and grown ups!) adore fish fingers so why not make your own? You can honestly put them together in little more than the time to cook frozen shop bought ones. And if time’s a problem, why not make a big batch and store them in the freezer for a later convenience dinner? The difference in quality between a homemade fish finger made with real fish fillet and a processed shop bought one made with minced/ground fish is enormous and it’s truly worth the little added effort.
I believe that getting your kids to eat and love fish from a very early age is really important. It’s been proven over recent years that the nutrients and minerals in fish, and particularly oily fish, are particularly good for the heart and can make improvements in brain development.
Homemade Fish Fingers
Great for 9-12 month babies, fingers foods, toddlers and pre-schoolers, big kids, big people, freezing, making ahead
makes 6-8 fish fingers:
200g of sustainable white fish fillet (cod, haddock or pollack are all perfect)
a tablespoon of plain flour
a medium free range egg, beaten
40g of panko, white breadcrumbs or polenta (or a combination of any of these)
2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
Take the time to carefully examine your fish fillet for any bones, removing any that you find with tweezers. Cut the fish into 6 – 8 even fingers.
Now assemble three shallow flat bottomed dishes. Put the flour in one, the beaten egg in the next and the panko/breadcrumbs/polenta in the final one.
Simply dip each fish finger first into the flour, then into the egg and finally roll it around in the crumbs. Place on a plate until you’re ready to use. They can be frozen for later use at this stage.
Heat the oil in frying pan until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped in. Carefully place the fish fingers in the pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning on all sides until golden brown and crisp all over. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
Serve with mash or chips and plenty of veggies.
How about trying some of my other toddler-tastic recipes? Kids Fish Pie, Sunday Dinner Leftovers Cakes, Chicken, Egg & Veggie Fried Rice or Lasagne ?
April 30th, 2012 at 2:55 pm
Fish fingers are very popular in our house and I always end up nicking some off my daughter’s plates! Have been meaning to try making my own for a while, and your recipe looks perfect so will definitely have to give it a go. Thanks for posting!
April 30th, 2012 at 3:35 pm
My kids are huge fans too. They’re even better with homemade oven chips and tartare sauce! (look up my recipe for fish & chips)