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?
Crispy Crunchy Baked Fish Sticks W/ Herbed Yogurt Sauce
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.
Jennifer @ Maple n Cornbread
These are fabulous and healthy to boot, love them especially using tilapia! Looks like Katie could be a spokesbaby for them! yum!
Kalynskitchen
Ah gee, she is just so darn cute. I love these photos! (The fish sticks sound good too.)
Danica
YUM!!! Your pictures and of course Katie eating them make me totally want to try these…and I cannot even remember the last time I ate a “fish” stick 🙂
Thanks for another awesome recipe that I am adding to my Danispies to try collection.
dani
Jennifer – I like the tilapia too… although I am also a big fan of cod when it comes to “fish sticks”.
Kalyn – Thanks:)
Danica – Anytime! Thanks for swinging by:)
Brenda
Thanks for the web site. I’m a new viewer/reader and just love it. My first comment was on your delicious looking blueberry protein pancakes. Yum!
These fish sticks look wonderful. Bet it would be good as chicken strips/nuggets too! Keep up the wonderful site!
BTW: Beautiful baby!
Melissa
You just made me crave fish sticks! Yum! I know Nico would love them since he eats everything these days (except grilled cheese, what is UP with THAT??) and I’m pretty sure Alex would like them too. I had some not so happy experiences with whole wheat panko previously but I think I need to switch my brand. YUMYUMYUM. Love the sauce too, will def try that.
ps. Katie is getting so big! So adorable 🙂
Dani
Brenda – Thanks! And I agree… this would definitely work with chicken and perhaps a little honey mustard:)
Melissa – LOL! No grilled cheese? I thought that was a shoe in for all kids!
Martha McKinnon
As a long time fish stick lover, these look delicious and I can tell Katie loved them. It warms my heart to see little ones enjoying healthy food. I might have to add a few chopped capers and/or pickles to your dip to make it a bit more like traditional tartar sauce!
Alida Hermary
These are the best fish sticks I’ve ever had. I think next time I may try marinating the fish for about 20 minutes in some lemon juice, salt and pepper, just to add a little more lemony flavor. I used cod, as that’s what I had. Also, I put dill instead of parsley and added garlic to the sauce as well. I was wondering if you could do the panko without the oil in it, but spray it with cooking spray instead? I’ve done that with regular bread crumbs before, and it worked good, but I’m not sure if it would still have that nice crispy coating. I’m excited to see your other recipes, especially for healthy lunch/on the go food! Great site!
Lisa Mills
Glad I found this site!-Insurance Tips
Kathy R
Just found your site and I love it! I want to caution about Panko bread crumbs–read the package. A lot of companies *still* include transfats in their Panko.
Sarah
Hi Dani, i’m making these tonight but with fresh wholemeal bread crumbs as my supermarket don’t have ready made, would i need to make any adjustments to the measurements? also can these be frozen?
Thanks
sarah
Dani
yes! they can be frozen and i don’t think yo would need to adjust anything if you switch bread crumbs!
Karen
Holy moly! These were awesome! I made these for my boyfriend and he couldn’t stop talking about them!
Dani
Yay! I haven’t made them in a while but I think I’ll add them to next weeks menu!
Eileen
Can one use almond or coconut flour instead of the PANKO wheat?
Dani
Yes, but the measurements would be different and I’m not exactly sure what they would be, so it may take a little experimenting before getting it just right 🙂