Crunchy fish tenders with homemade tartar sauce

This is a great kid-friendly dish that can be made ahead and frozen for those times when you need to feed a kid quickly and separately and don’t want to serve overly processed junk. It might seem less frugal than buying a box of frozen breaded fish, but you are getting way more bang for your buck in the amount of quality fish in each serving. Plus it tastes way better, so you can feed it to your whole family!

Tender fish + crunchy coating, always a hit

Cod is great for this because it is nice and firm, very low in fat (helps balance out the frying aspect), and has a mild taste. You can also use sole, haddock, halibut, or any fish you like as long as it isn’t too delicate.

Prep your assembly line

Cut your fish into sticks that are about 3 inches long and ¾ inch square. I am using 2 lbs here so I can have plenty leftover for future quick meals. It doesn’t have to be totally uniform, and it won’t be possible since the width of the fillet varies. But no worries, it will work fine. Season the fish strips with salt and pepper.

Set out three additional bowls. In one, add a cup of flour and 2-3 teaspoons of seasoning. I am using Ruth Ann’s Muskego Avenue seasoning from Penzey’s, mainly because I got is as a freebie and it sounded good, but I wasn’t sure what else to do with it. The blend has salt, black pepper, garlic, lemon peel, and onion. It worked out great for this, but you can use Old Bay, Cajun seasoning, or any other blend or custom spice mixture you like. In the second bowl, lightly beat three eggs. In the last bowl, add about 2 cups of panko.

And now begins the painstaking process of dredging each piece of fish in the seasoned flour, dipping in egg, and coating with panko. This is tedious, I am not going to lie. But if you try to keep one hand dry and use it only for helping the the panko stick to the fish, it will help you avoid turning your hand in to a huge mitt of wet flour and breadcrumbs. Place the prepared strips on a baking sheet.

Being done with that part is a great feeling!

Heat ¼ inch of canola oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is nice and hot, add the breaded fish in a single layer, without overcrowding.

After about two minutes, the bottom will be golden brown, so flip them all and fry for another two minutes to brown the other side.

Remove the fish to a baking sheet lined with paper to drain. Brown paper is better than paper towels because it lets the oil drain without being too absorbent so as to make the breading soggy. But if you don’t have a clean brown paper bag lying around, use paper towels (stiffer, cheaper ones are better than something like Viva for this), but just don’t let them sit on there too long. Repeat with the rest of the fish. I had to do three or four batches in my 12″ skillet for my two pounds of fish.

Let the leftovers cool completely and freeze in a plastic bag for easy access. To reheat, bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes.

Tartar sauce, if you are up for it

Now, if you decide you want to do this, do it before you cook the fish. For this, you’ll need 2/3 cup mayo, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, a tablespoon each of minced chives, minced parsley, and thinly sliced green onions.

I like to mince sweet pickles to make 2-3 tablespoons, but you can definitely use relish if you like. Also drain and chop a generous tablespoon of capers. Add everything to a small bowl.

Zest and juice ¼ to ½ lemon, shoot for about a half teaspoon of zest and a teaspoon or two of juice. Add the zest directly to the bowl.

Finally, you’ll need ½ teaspoon dried tarragon and white pepper to taste. With the the salt in many of the ingredients, I never think it needs salt, but add that to taste if you have a different result. Add the tarragon and mayo and stir to blend. Mix in the lemon juice. Add pepper (and salt), to taste.

It will look something like this:

Put it in the fridge for at least an hour so the flavors can blend.