Hairy Bikers Fish Fingers Recipe

Four fat fingers or eight smaller ones come from 500g of fish in this Hairy Bikers fish fingers recipe, in 27 minutes by my clock. And Mums Still Know Best coats them in flour, egg and breadcrumbs for 4, at 282 calories a portion before bread on the BBC’s count.

“We know you’ve got a packet of fish fingers in the freezer”, they write, “but try our home-made version”. And what makes theirs different is the crumb, since the book offers fresh white breadcrumbs mixed with easy-cook polenta as well as golden crumbs.

Get the oil hot first, because the BBC version of this recipe drops in a breadcrumb and waits for it to sizzle and brown. Then turn the fingers occasionally over 5 to 6 minutes, since the book wants them golden and crisp on all sides.

Hairy Bikers Fish Fingers Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Frying Cuisine:British Courses:Lunch Snack

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 12 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 27 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:282 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

A thick skinless fillet of cod, haddock or salmon is cut into fingers and shaken in seasoned flour inside a freezer bag. Then each one is turned in beaten egg, dunked in golden breadcrumbs and shallow-fried in sunflower oil until crisp all over. And the book serves them between slices of buttered bread with ketchup, so this is a fish finger sandwich recipe too.

Ingredients

For the fish fingers

• 500g thick skinless fillet of salmon, cod, haddock or other white fish
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 1 large egg
• 50g golden breadcrumbs, or 30g fresh white breadcrumbs mixed with 20g easy-cook polenta
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

• Bread, butter and ketchup

Instructions

1. Cut: cut 500g of thick skinless fish fillet into 4 really fat fingers or 8 smaller ones. And do not worry about odd shapes, because the book says they will look all the better for it.
2. Set up the coating: put 3 tbsp plain flour in a strong freezer bag with a good pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Then beat 1 large egg lightly in a shallow dish. Put 50g golden breadcrumbs, or 30g fresh white breadcrumbs mixed with 20g easy-cook polenta, in a separate dish.
3. Coat: one at a time, toss the fingers gently in the seasoned flour until evenly coated. Then turn them in the beaten egg until well covered, dunk them in the breadcrumbs and set them on a plate ready to cook.
4. Heat the oil: pour 3 tbsp sunflower oil into a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Then drop in a breadcrumb, the BBC version’s test, and wait until it sizzles and turns brown.
5. Fry: add the fish fingers, in batches if they crowd the pan. Then fry for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally until golden brown and crisp on all sides. Then stay by the pan, because the book says not to leave hot oil unattended.
6. Drain and serve: lift them out with a spatula and drain on kitchen paper. Then serve in slices of freshly buttered bread with a good dollop of ketchup.

FAQs

Is this the BBC homemade fish finger sandwich?

Yes, the BBC page is the same recipe bar the salmon option, credited there to Mums Know Best. So its 282 calories, 28g of protein and 11g of fat a portion are for white fish, and salmon comes out higher by my count. Then the BBC adds frozen peas boiled for 2 to 3 minutes, which the book leaves out, and a freezing tip I cover below.

Can I freeze homemade fish fingers?

Yes, and the BBC page gives the method: lay the uncooked crumbed fingers on a cling-film lined tray, cover and freeze for 2 hours. Then move them into freezer bags once they are completely frozen, and fry them from frozen with no defrosting, following the same frying step. But I cut one open before serving, because from frozen they take nearer 8 minutes in my pan to heat through.

Which fish is best for Hairy Bikers fish fingers?

Pollock, most weeks, since the fish pie in the same book names cod, haddock or pollock and this recipe allows any white fish. But whatever you pick, it wants to be one thick fillet, because the book cuts 4 really fat fingers from it. And for salmon in a crumb their salmon fish cakes from the same book use 800g of it, which is where my salmon goes.

Do I need golden breadcrumbs, or can I use fresh?

Either, and the order stays flour, egg, crumb whichever you pick, which is the same coat their chicken kiev goes into before the fryer. So I keep a tub of golden crumbs in the cupboard, though the polenta mix is what I make from stale ends. And in my pan the golden crumbs give a finer, more even shell, while the polenta version comes out rougher.

What do you serve with Hairy Bikers fish fingers?

Between two slices, because the headnote says “add some ketchup and all your troubles will melt away”. And for a change, Everyday Winners breaks 16 shop fish fingers into fajitas with jalapeño sauce, which they call “Captain Birdseye meets Pablo Escobar”. So on a picnic I pack them cold next to their scotch eggs, which get a double coat of crumbs where these get one.