Oven-Fried Fish Sticks with Tartar Sauce

As host of Yahoo’s Blue Ribbon Hunter, Allison Fishman Task has eaten countless plates of “festival” food.  “I’d visit fairs and people would say they can’t eat the food because it’s too high in fat and calories,” she says.  “My hope with this book (Cooking light lighten up, America!) was to reclaim classic beloved American dishes.”  Here, she transforms fish sticks by baking cod and serving it with a zingy sauce.

Oven-Fried Fish Sticks with Tartar Sauce Recipe

Oven-Fried Fish Sticks with Tartar Sauce

 

Fish Sticks:   4.5 oz. flour (about 1 cup)

1 ½ cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

3 Tbsp. water

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 ¼ lbs. cod fillets (1/2 inch thick)

Cooking spray

½ tsp. kosher salt

Tartar Sauce:   1/3 cup light mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. chopped kosher dill pickles

1 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbsp. capers, rinsed, drained and chopped

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 F.  To prepare fish sticks, place flour in a shallow dish or bowl.  Place bread crumbs in a second shallow dish or bowl.

Combine 3 Tbsp. water and egg in third shallow dish or bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Cut fish into 20 (4 x ½ inch) strips.  Dredge fish in flour, shaking off excess.  Dip fish in egg mixture and dredge in bread crumbs.  Place on baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Coat fish with cooking spray.

Bake at 375 F. for 30 minutes or until crisp.  Sprinkle fish sticks with salt.

To prepare tartar sauce, combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl.  Serve tartar with fish.

 

(Recipe for Oven-Fried Fish Sticks with Tartar Sauce was in USA Weekend. November 3, 2013)