Crispy Crunchy Baked Fish Sticks W/ Herbed Yogurt Sauce

I wanted to make something new and fun for Katie (that B and I could eat for dinner too!) and just couldn’t get fish sticks off the brain.

Now, traditionally speaking Fish Sticks and Tartar Sauce do not exactly fall into the “nutritious meals” category BUT by making a few simple changes to this dish we can easily change that.

So here are my three simple tricks to creating a Clean & Delicious® Fish Stick Dinner:

• Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs.  Instead of breading my fish in white flour or refined bread crumbs I used whole wheat Panko.  Not only so we get the added nutrients and fiber but the Panko makes the breading extra crunchy!

• Bake.  Bake.  Bake!   Traditionally fish sticks are deep fried which is definitely not a “Clean” method of cooking.  SO instead of frying, crank those ovens nice and high and bake the fish sticks in the oven.  The results are surprisingly delicious and I promise you still get A LOT of crunch factor!  (no soggy fish sticks around here).

• Greek Yogurt.  As many of you already know, I LOVE mayo and am not always willing to give it up if it means sacrificing flavor BUT in this recipe I didn’t miss it one bit!  All the flavors that I added to the creamy Greek yogurt made the perfect dip for the fish sticks with out having to use one drop of mayo.

Okay, okay, so I know what you are thinking, “sure Dani, these steps seem easy enough but I need to know, DID IT TASTE GOOD?”.

Well my friends, why don’t you just take a looksie for yourselves:

Katie has no problem spitting out something she doesn’t like or kindly throwing it onto the floor if it doesn’t meet her “taste expectations” and as you can see, there was none of that going on with our Fish Sticks.

These Fish Sticks were crispy, crunchy on the outside and nice and tender and flakey on the inside!  It was a meal that our whole, little, happy family of three was able to enjoy together!

Katie even liked the Herbed Yogurt Sauce that was made up of Greek yogurt, lemon, horseradish and parsley:

And so did we!!

The fish and the sauce were AMAZING the next day on some whole wheat bread with crunchy lettuce and a big fat tomato SO if you have any leftovers you can have one heck of a lunch to look forward to the next day!!

So tell me… did you eat fish sticks growing up?  Do you like Fish Sticks??  Have you ever tried breading them and if so what were the results?

Print Recipe

4.90 from 19 votes

Crispy Crunchy Baked Fish Sticks W/ Herbed Yogurt Sauce

Course: DIET, DINNER, fish + seafood

Cuisine: American, kids, nut free

Author: Dani Spies

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time35 mins

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 2kcal

Ingredients

• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup of whole wheat Panko bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp of garlic powder
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 lb. Tilapia filets
• 1/2 cup of plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp horseradish sauce

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 475. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Cut tilapia into strips by cutting in half lengthwise once and then again. Then cut in half horizontally to create strips.
• Place the egg in a large bowl and generously season with salt and pepper. In another bowl combine, Panko, garlic powder, and olive oil. Dip the tilapia into the egg (shaking off an excess) and then into the Panko. Press Panko crumbs on to the fish to be sure that they stick and then place each breaded strip onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Pop in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until cooked through. Sprinkle with a little more salt as soon as you pull them put of the oven. Serve along side Herbed Yogurt Sauce* and enjoy!
• Herbed Yogurt Sauce
• In a small bowl combine yogurt, parsley, mustard, lemon juice and horseradish sauce. Enjoy!
• Serves 4.

Nutrition

Calories: 2kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 31mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g