The Best Type Of Fish To Use For Crispy Homemade Fish Sticks

Given that fish sticks, like french fries, are often held in your hand when you eat them, you don't want them to fall apart on first pick-up. This is a fact worth considering if you're making homemade fish sticks. The falling-apart fish issue is most readily solved by choosing fish that are more hearty in structure to begin with. The fish that fall into this category tend to be thicker and less flaky, with some being so thick you practically need to cut them with a knife. As such, there's little danger that they'll fall apart in your fingers. Many of the varieties in this category are white fish. Unsurprisingly, white fish are commonly used in the making of fish sticks.

To that end, if you're making homemade fish sticks, choose a fish that falls apart less readily, like cod, pollock, or haddock. Swordfish is another firm fish worth considering if you're in the market for it, since it doesn't break apart very easily. Other good choices can include catfish and tilapia. 

It's also worth mentioning that certain ingredients — like the batter that goes on fish sticks — help to mitigate breakage because they bind the fish together. However, if your aim is to make treats that rival the best store-bought fish sticks, starting with a nearly unbreakable fish is the best insurance you have against broken fish sticks.

While frozen fish brands like Gorton's Seafood gravitate toward a certain type of fish (haddock, pollock, cod, and tilapia in this case) there isn't any rule that says you have to stick to those kinds of fish if you're making fish sticks at home. This is particularly true if you'd like to try fish with different flavors than you're used to tasting in store-bought sticks.

Once again, you should always look for fish that doesn't break apart easily when it's deep-fried. For example, salmon makes tasty fish sticks and works well as a white fish substitute — if it's prepared properly while avoiding the common pitfalls in cooking fish. If it falls apart, take that as a sign that it's overcooked — not that you've chosen the wrong fish. Mahi mahi is another fish that works well here. It's not known for falling apart easily, even when grilling. And with the reinforcement that it'll get from the egg-and-bread-crumb batter, it's less likely than other fish to fall apart during the cooking process, putting it on the table as another good fish sticks candidate.

Finally, while many people may only think of tuna fish in relation to sandwiches, the reality is your favorite sammy fish also makes pretty good fried fish sticks, too. This is a great choice if you're craving the comfort food of your youth but would like to try it in a new way. Who knows? You might even merge the two and make a fried tuna fish sticks sandwich from your cooking creations. A tuna lover can dream, anyway.