Garlic Parmesan Fish Sticks

Garlic Parmesan Fish Filets…or Fish Sticks! This delicious parmesan fish stick recipe is easy and fun to make, and a big hit with the whole family. Fresh garlic and fish fillets are a budget friendly win.

Fish Filets are for adults, and fish sticks are for kids, right?  The good news is, this recipe works well for both, and you’ll look like a master chef if you just cut the fish to different portions for kids and adults.  You can also season them differently, depending on how picky your eaters are.  

I’ll add – this was an impulse recipe one night when we were short time and ingredients.  The panko crumbs on hand were probably a little stale, and we had catfish instead of tilapia…and it was fantastic!

These fish sticks are made with a very basic baking/frying combination.  Begin by dredging them through a seasoned flour mixture, then dip them in egg, and finally add the breading and cheese before baking or frying.  The final filets have a wonderful garlic parmesan flavor, and you can experiment with different herbs and seasonings.  

As a gluten free tip – we found that the gluten free panko crumbs didn’t have as much flavor as the regular ones, so be sure to increase your seasoning for gluten free items.  Cook times and the overall process did not change at all.

The really fun part about this dish is making it, which is wonderfully messy.  My kids were more than happy to get their fingers coating in egg-bread mix, and each one wanted to make and coat their own fish sticks.

Let’s cook!

Ingredients:

⅓ cup flour (gluten free worked fine)

¼ tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Pepper

1 cup panko bread crumbs (gluten free worked fine)

⅓ cup parmesan cheese

1 tsp. Garlic powder

(optional other herbs – consider oregano, thyme, or parsley.  Any Italian herb mix will work well here, 1tsp – 1 tbs, depending on your tastes)

2 large eggs

1 lb of tilapia or cod (or the fish of your choice!)

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F, and prepare a large baking sheet lined with foil.  Spray the foil with cooking spray.  Note: Spray heavily!  The breading will stick to the foil.
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper.
3. In a second dish, beat two eggs together
4. In a third dish, mix your panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and remaining seasoning
5. For fish sticks, slice the fish into the desired size.  Shorter sticks work better in my experience.  If cooking whole filets, keep them thin.
6. Dredge each piece of fish in the flour mixture, then dip in the egg wash, and then finally into the bread crump mix.  Lay them out on the well oiled sheet.
7. Spray one more time with the oil, just enough to lightly moisten the breadcrumbs.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the fish is flakes easily.  Allow to cool for 3 minutes before removing them from the sheet.

Enjoy!