When I was a kid I loved fish sticks. Whenever I seen that blue box taken out of the freezer I would get super excited! We would pair them with potato crowns and would have the fish and chip night! As an adult I have now developed my version of crispy crusted fish sticks that are made with tilapia fillets and breaded with a mixture of corn flake crumbles, nutritional yeast, seasonings, and almond flour. They are healthy and crunchy and packed with loads of nutrients. Pair that with my favorite caper mayo, roasted potato wedges and bring on the fish and chips!
Tips For Making Crispy Crusted Fish Sticks
The Breading
I have played around with breading to find the crunchiest, gluten free breading mixture. I have found that corn flake crumbs make the best breading. If you can’t find the crumbs already ground you can use regular corn flakes and food process them until they are finely ground.
Add all your dry ingredients together. I like adding nutritional yeast for an added nutty flavor and smoked Paprika for a little smokiness.
I use egg whites for the binder. You can also do 2 whole eggs if you don’t want to use the egg whites.
Fish
My favorite fish for these fish sticks is tilapia. It’s a versatile fish that is flaky and light. You could also use cod, or rock fish. Cut your fish in strips to dredge.
Assembly
The easiest way to dredge them is to make an assembly line. Have your fish, then your egg mixture next to it and then your breading.
Coat your fish in the egg whites. Then roll it around in the breading until fully coated.
Baking
I cook these strips in the air fryer at 400 for 10 minutes. Use some pan spray at the bottom of the basket to make sure it doesn’t stick and make sure to not overlap or crowd the fish. Take them out, flip on the other side and cook for another 5 minutes so they get crispy on both sides.
If you are using the oven, spray a sheet pan and place all your fish sticks on the pan. Do not overlap them. Bake them for 15 minutes on one side. Flip them over and cook them for another 10 minutes.
Sauce
While your fish sticks are baking you can make your sauce. Add all of the ingredients together and mix well. If you don;t have capers you could also sub them for diced pickles. Store in the fridge for 1 week.
Crispy Crusted Fish Sticks
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1/2 Cup Corn flake Crumbs
- 1/4 Cup Almond Flour
- 1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
- 1 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Dry Mustard
- 1/2 Tsp Salt and Pepper
- ½ Cup Egg Whites
- 1 Lbs Tilapia or Mild White Fish Cut into slices
Caper Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp Dill
- 2 Tbsp Capers Drained
- 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juiced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 or use an air fryer.
- Mix corn flake crumbles, almond flour, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.
- Whisk egg whites in a second shallow dish.
- Cut your fish into strips.
- Add fish to egg whites. Turn to coat.
- Transfer each tender to the almond mixture; turn to coat evenly.
- Place the tenders on a sheet pan with cooking spray.
- Bake the fish until golden brown and crispy 20 to 25 minutes. Flipping them over half way through baking.
- If using the air fryer. Spray the basket. Put your strips in so they don't overlap. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Turn over and bake for another additional 5 minutes.
- Mix all your caper sauce ingredients into a bowl.
- Serve your fish sticks with caper sauce and fresh lemon slices.