Growing up, fish sticks were never my thing. In fact, they used to make me queasy, even though I’ve always liked fish. For months Mr. How Sweet had been asking me to recreate fish sticks, and I kept putting it off because I didn’t think I could pull it off.
But I’m so glad I finally tried.
These are incredibly simple—much easier than I expected. I started by cutting tilapia fillets into stick shapes.
Then I dipped each stick in beaten egg whites and coated them with panko breadcrumbs mixed with parmesan. That was it. They went into the oven, and after one flip they were done. How easy is that?
And how appetizing do they look when finished?
The outsides turned golden and crunchy while the insides stayed flaky and tender.
I often make parmesan-crusted tilapia in a similar way, but these were even better—playful to eat and nostalgic. They brought me back to feeling like a kid again, minus the questionable fashion choices.
A dipping sauce would be a great accompaniment. I didn’t experiment much this time because Mr. How Sweet only eats ketchup and insisted on his usual. If you have a favorite sauce, I’d love to hear about it.
Healthy Homemade Fish Sticks
Makes 12 fish sticks
- 3 tilapia fillets (or another white fish of your choice)
- 2 egg whites, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and spray it lightly with nonstick spray.
Cut each tilapia fillet once down the middle and then in half to create four stick-shaped pieces per fillet. Season the fish sticks with salt and pepper. In one bowl, beat the egg whites. In a second bowl, combine the panko, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Dip each fish stick first in the egg whites, then press into the panko mixture until evenly coated. Arrange the coated sticks on the wire rack and lightly spritz them with olive oil.
Bake for 10 minutes, flip the sticks, then bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Serve hot.
I served these to Mr. How Sweet with a generous helping of sweet potato fries and a few blobs of ketchup. They were a hit—especially for anyone with a kid-friendly palate.