• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Foodle Club

  • Recipe Index
  • All Recipes (date order)
  • Convert grams to cups
  • How to guides
  • Collections
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • All Recipes (date order)
  • Convert grams to cups
  • How to guides
  • Collections
  • About
  • Mobile Menu

    • Facebook
  • ×
    • Pieces of air fried chicken on a white serving platter with bowls of salad in the background.
      Air fryer barbeque chicken - with a chutney glaze
    • A dish of pork and apple casserole on a table with mashed potatoes an broad beans.
      Slow-cooked pork and apple casserole with brandy gravy
    • A dish of chicken aloo matar with Indian green beans in the foreground.
      Chicken Aloo Matar (one pot chicken, potato and pea curry)
    • Pea and broad bean salad in a bue serving dish.
      Green pea and broad bean salad
    • A white serving dish filled with creamy mushroom pasta salad.
      Creamy mushroom pasta salad - with a tangy twist
    • A spoonful of sweet and sour dipping sauce being lifted from a small bowl.
      Quick and easy sweet and sour dipping sauce
    • A crispy prawn spring roll that has been dipped in dipping sauce.
      Crispy prawn spring rolls
    • Slices of chocolate loaf cake with a covering of chocolate.
      Chocolate ice cream loaf cake
    • Sliced pot roast of brisket on a serving platter, garnished with rosemary, with potatoes and carrots on the side.
      Braised brisket pot roast with tasty capsicum gravy
    • A dish of meatballs in curried onion sauce on a table next to a bowl of peas and a dish of rice.
      South African-style curried meatballs - oven-baked in rich gravy
    • A cream scone cut in half, spread with butter and topped with strawberry compote.
      Strawberry cream scones - no butter needed
    • A collage of 9 of the recipies featured in this dinner pie collection.
      23 Dinner pie recipes - easy to make, delicious to eat
    Home » Recipes » Fish and seafood recipes

    Crispy fish fingers with homemade tartare sauce

    Published: May 26, 2022 · Modified: May 30, 2024 by VJ · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to recipe

    Let me show you how to make these extra crispy fish fingers which are perfect for dunking in a bowl of homemade tartare sauce. I've coated them with Panko breadcrumbs for extra crunch, and I'm going to let you in on a little secret that keeps the fish moist on the inside and adds even more flavour to the crispy coating.

    Fish fingers covered in tartare sauce on a plate with french fries and peas.
    Jump to:
    • Crispy fish fingers
    • Tips for the best fish fingers
    • What you will need
    • What to do
    • To serve
    • FAQ
    • Save for later
    • Related recipes
    • 📋The recipe

    Crispy fish fingers

    These are the crispiest fish fingers I've ever made. No kidding! They're coated in Panko breadcrumbs that provide a satisfying crunch when you bite through them. And they're made in an air-fryer which means you don't need any oil so they are healthy too.

    If you don't have an air fryer you can bake them in the oven - they'll still have that lovely crunch.

    For more flavour, and to keep the fish moist and juicy, I've mixed some mayonnaise with the egg that's used to bind the crumbs to the fish. I can't believe I haven't done this before. It makes such a difference to the taste and texture of the fish fingers.

    The coating is made by dredging the strips of fish in seasoned cornflour, followed by a mixture of egg and mayonnaise, and finally in breadcrumbs. I would recommend putting the fish fingers into the refrigerator for half an hour before cooking them, to give the coating time to settle on the fish, but you can get away without doing this if you are in a hurry.

    To serve with the fish fingers, I've got a tangy homemade tartare sauce that goes well with the fish. And it only takes a few minutes to throw together.

    A crispy fish finger being dipped in a bowl of tartare sauce.

    Tips for the best fish fingers

    • Use a firm white fish such as cod, haddock or pollock.
    • Try to cut all the pieces of fish the same size so that they cook evenly. I find the loin is the best cut to use as it is nice and chunky, and gives you nice flaky fish fingers.
    • Pat the fish gently with a sheet of paper towel to make sure it is dry before you add the coating. This does 2 things:
      • it ensures the coating will stick firmly to the fish; and
      • less water means less steam produced as the fish cooks, resulting in a crispier coating.
    • Rest the coated fish fingers in the refrigerator for half an hour before cooking them to give the coating time to settle on the fish.
    • For the crispiest coating, use Panko breadcrumbs, or if you are using fresh breadcrumbs, toast them lightly in a frying pan before using them.

    What you will need

    Equipment

    If you are going to be making the fish fingers in an air-fryer, I'd highly recommend an air-fryer oven. The one I have has three shelves, meaning you can cook more food at once. You could also use an air-fryer with a basket, but you may have to cook the fish fingers in batches.

    On the other hand, if you are going to be baking the fish fingers in the oven you will need a large baking tray.

    I would recommend lining your trays with baking parchment to prevent the fish fingers from sticking to the tray.

    For coating the fish fingers you will need three shallow bowls to hold the coating ingredients.

    And for the tartare sauce, you will need a small mixing bowl.

    Ingredients

    Fish fingers

    Ingredients for crispy fish fingers.
    • Fish - you can use any firm white fish - cod, haddock or pollock are ideal, but you could also use salmon, hake, kingklip or barramundi. The fish should be cut into evenly-sized strips. Bear in mind that the fish will shrink slightly when cooked, so don't make the strips too small.
    • Cornflour (or cornstarch) - I like to season the cornflour with salt and ground black pepper before coating the fish, but if you are on a salt-restricted diet you can skip the salt.
    • Egg - lightly beaten and mixed with mayonnaise. The mayonnaise is my secret for adding extra flavour to the fish fingers, and also for keeping the fish moist as it cooks.
    • Breadcrumbs - I like to use Panko breadcrumbs which you should be able to find in any large supermarket, or if not you can get them from Amazon. You could also make your own breadcrumbs by grating day-old bread on a box grater, or by whizzing it around in a food processor. I would recommend toasting these breadcrumbs in a dry frying pan before using them.

    Tartare sauce

    Tartare sauce will stay fresh for at least 4 days if stored in a covered container in the refrigerator. You can eat it immediately, but the flavour improves on standing so I always make it an hour or so before I want to use it so the flavours can develop.

    Ingredients for tartare sauce.

    Mayonnaise - this forms the base of the sauce. You can use full-fat mayonnaise or the lighter variety. You may also like to try this recipe for homemade mayonnaise.

    Gherkins - these are just pickled cucumbers. You can use the larger gherkins or the smaller cornichons. I like the dill-flavoured ones, but you can use whatever flavour you prefer. They should be finely chopped - about the size of a matchhead.

    Capers - these should also be finely chopped.

    Lemon juice - you will only need a small amount or the tartare sauce will be too sour, but just a dash makes all the difference to the flavour.

    Spring onion - I like to add a finely chopped spring onion, but this is optional.

    Dill and parsley - finely chopped. Use fresh herbs if possible, but if you only have dried dill and parsley you can use that - but you will need to use less as dried herbs are much more concentrated than fresh herbs.

    What to do

    Tartare sauce

    Chopped gherkins, capers, parsley and dill in a bowl with mayonnaise.

    Chop the ingredients finely and combine them in a mixing bowl.

    A bowl of tartare sauce.

    Stir until well-combined and then store the tartare sauce in a covered bowl in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it.

    Note - the flavours of the tartare sauce improve on standing. I like to make this about an hour in advance and let it stand in the refrigerator for a while.

    Fish fingers

    If you are making your own breadcrumbs, here's how to toast them.

    Fresh breadcrumbs in a frying pan.

    Grate slices of bread on the largest holes of a box grater and then place the crumbs in a dry frying pan on low heat.

    Toasted breadcrumbs in a frying pan.

    Stir the crumbs until they start to dry and turn brown. Keep your eye on them, they burn easily.

    Once they are brown, remove the breadcrumbs from the heat and allow them to cool.

    Leftover breadcrumbs can be stored in a plastic bag in the freezer and used for another meal.

    Pieces of fish being coated with cornflour, egg and breadcrumbs.

    Prepare three bowls with seasoned cornflour, beaten egg and mayonnaise, and the breadcrumbs.

    Coat each fish stick first in cornflour, then in the egg/mayonnaise mixture, and finally in the breadcrumbs.

    Arrange the fish fingers on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for half an hour.

    Coated fish fingers on an air-fryer baking tray.

    Arrange the fish fingers on the trays of your air fryer (on a sheet of baking parchment).

    Set the temperature to 165 C / 330F and set the timer for 10 minutes.

    After 10 minutes swap the positions of the trays and turn the fish fingers over.

    Bake for another 5 minutes.

    A single layer of fish fingers on a a baking tray.

    If you want to bake the fish fingers in the oven, arrange them in a single layer on a baking parchment-lined baking tray and spray them lightly with cooking spray.

    Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 180C / 355 F.

    Golden brown fish fingers on a baking tray after being cooked.

    In both cases (air fryer or oven) the fish fingers should be golden brown and crispy.

    You can cook these fish fingers in a conventional air-fryer (with a basket), but depending on the size of your air-fryer basket you may have to cook the fish fingers in batches to avoid over-crowding the air-fryer.

    Fish fingers that have been coated in toasted breadcrumbs on a plate with peas and tartare sauce.

    These fish fingers were made with toasted breadcrumbs (rather than Panko) and baked in the oven. They are just as crispy as the Panko-coated fish fingers but are slightly browner than fish fingers cooked in an air-fryer.

    To serve

    I like to serve fish fingers with french fries and peas, with a good helping of tartare sauce. See my recipe for crispy French fries.

    Instead of tartare sauce, you may like to try making a quick Marie Rose sauce by mixing equal quantities of mayonnaise and tomato ketchup with a few drops of Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce.

    If you'd like to be notified of new recipes, why not subscribe to my newsletter? To say thank you, you will receive a free recipe e-book containing some of my most popular cakes and desserts.

    FAQ

    Can I freeze fish fingers?

    Once the fish fingers have been coated with egg and breadcrumbs, you can freeze them. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and place them into the freezer. Once they are solid, transfer them to a plastic bag and freeze them for up to three months. Bake or fry from frozen according to the recipe instructions. You may need to add one or two minutes on to the cooking time.

    Can I fry these fish fingers in a frying pan?

    Yes, you can shallow fry the fish fingers in shallow oil in a frying pan. You should fry them for 3 to 4 minutes per side until they are golden brown.

    Save for later

    If you would like to make these crispy fish fingers and tartare sauce, why not pin the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.

    Alternatively, you can save the recipe to your Grow Me account by clicking on the floating heart on the right-hand side of the screen.

    Related recipes

    You can find other fish recipes on my fish and seafood recipes page. Here are a few of them:

    • Two salmon fishcakes on a white plate on a bed of lettuce with lemon slices.
      Easy salmon fishcakes
    • A golden pan-fried fish fillet on a plate with chips and peas.
      Pan-fried fish fillets - with a light batter
    • A homemade fishcake cut in half to show the inside.
      Easy homemade fish cakes with a crispy coating
    • A plate of spicy fish and rice with peas.
      Spicy fish and rice bake in tomato sauce

    📋The recipe

    Fish fingers covered in tartare sauce on a plate with french fries and peas.

    Crispy fish fingers with homemade tartare sauce

    Let me show you how to make these extra crispy fish fingers which are perfect for dunking in a bowl of homemade tartare sauce. I've coated them with Panko breadcrumbs for extra crunch, and I'm going to let you in on a little secret that keeps the fish moist on the inside and adds even more flavour to the crispy coating.
    Recipe by: Veronica
    Lunch, Main Course
    British
    Calories 677
    Prep 25 minutes minutes
    Chilling time 30 minutes minutes
    Cook 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    5 from 1 vote

    (Click the stars to rate this recipe)

    Equipment

    • Air fryer
    • Baking tray
    • 3 Shallow bowls
    • Mixing bowl
    • Baking parchment

    Ingredients

    Fish fingers

    • 1¼ pound / 560 grams cod (or other firm white fish) Cut into evenly-sized strips
    • ¾ cup / 90 grams cornflour / cornstarch
    • 2 medium egg lightly beaten
    • ¼ cup / 60 ml mayonnaise
    • 1 cup / 125 grams Panko breadcrumbs
    • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
    • cooking oil spray only if baking the fish fingers in the oven

    Tartare sauce

    • 1 cup / 240 ml mayonnaise
    • 3 tablepoons finely chopped gherkins
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped capers
    • 1 small finely chopped spring onion
    • 1 teaspoon lemon juice or more to taste
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
    • salt and black pepper to taste

    Instructions

    Tartare sauce

    • Chop the gherkins, capers and spring onions finely.
      3 tablepoons finely chopped gherkins, 1 tablespoon finely chopped capers, 1 small finely chopped spring onion
    • Combine them with the remainder of the ingredients (except the salt and pepper) in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.
      1 cup / 240 ml mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill, 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, salt and black pepper to taste
    • Taste for seasoning and add salt and finely ground black pepper if necessary. You can also add more lemon juice at this point if you think it needs it.
    • Transfer to the refrigerator while you fry the fish fingers.

    Fish fingers

    • If you intend frying the fish fingers in an air-fryer, preheat the air-fryer to 165°C/330°F.
      If you intend baking the fish fingers in the oven, preheat the oven to 180°C/355°F.
    • Prepare three shallow bowls - one with cornflour seasoned with salt and black pepper, a second with the lightly beaten egg and mayonnaise, and a third with the Panko breadcrumbs.
      ¾ cup / 90 grams cornflour / cornstarch, 2 medium egg, 1 cup / 125 grams Panko breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 cup / 240 ml mayonnaise, ¼ cup / 60 ml mayonnaise
    • Cut the fish into evenly-sized strips and pat dry with a piece of paper towel.
      1¼ pound / 560 grams cod (or other firm white fish)
    • Dip each piece of fish first into the cornflour, then into the egg and breadcrumb mixture, and finally into the breadcrumbs.
    • Arrange the coated fish fingers on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator for half an hour to give the coating time to settle.
    • Arrange the fish fingers on an air-fryer tray or oven-baking tray (line them with baking parchment first).
    • Air-fryer - Fry the fish fingers for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes swap the trays around, turn over the fish fingers and fry for another 5 minutes until the fish fingers are golden brown.
      Oven - Spray the fish fingers lightly with cooking spray and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.
    • Serve the fish fingers with french fries and peas, along with the tartare sauce.

    Notes

    Tartar sauce
    • You can use dried herbs in place of fresh dill and parsley, but you will need a lot less.  Dried herbs are far more concentrated than fresh.  Start with half a teaspoon of each, then taste and add more dried herbs if necessary.
    Fish fingers
    • You can substitute the Panko with fresh breadcrumbs.  I would recommend toasting the breadcrumbs in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes to crisp them.  Stir continuously and take care because they can burn easily.
    • To avoid waste, measure the coating ingredients as stated in the recipe.  If you run out of cornflour or breadcrumbs, add more as needed.
    • If you are in a hurry you can skip chilling the coated fish fingers in the refrigerator, but you run the risk of the coating falling off as the fish cooks.
    • The instructions given are for an air-fryer oven with trays for cooking the food.  If you are using an air-fryer with a basket you may have to cook the fish fingers in batches to avoid over-crowding the air-fryer.
    How to freeze uncooked fish fingers
    Once the fish fingers have been coated with egg and breadcrumbs, you can freeze them. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and place them into the freezer. Once they are solid, transfer them to a plastic bag and freeze them for up to three months. Bake or fry from frozen according to the recipe instructions. You may need to add one or two minutes on to the cooking time.
    Nutrition - assumes all the coating ingredients will be used, and that all the tartare sauce will be consumed.

    Nutrition

    Calories - 677kcal | Carbohydrates - 61.2g | Protein - 41.3g | Fat - 29.7g | Saturated Fat - 4.7g | Cholesterol - 176mg | Sodium - 1281mg | Potassium - 152mg | Fiber - 1.9g | Sugar - 8.4g | Vitamin D - 8µg | Calcium - 137mg | Iron - 3mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

    Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
    All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
    Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I'd love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

    If you made this recipe and enjoyed it, I'd love it if you could give me a star rating in the comments below. And if you'd like to get in touch, you can email me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list so you can grab yourself a copy of my FREE COOKBOOK!

    If you'd like to continue browsing, just click on this link to all my recipes.

    More Fish and seafood recipes

    • Overhead shot of a creamy crab and roasted pepper pasta salad. The salad is in a white bowl and is surrounded by dishes of other salads and a platter of cold meat.
      Creamy crab and roasted pepper pasta salad
    • A black serving dish of Thai prawn and monkfish curry.
      Thai prawn and monkfish curry
    • A dish of Anglesey eggs next to a plate of lightly battered pieces of fish. There is a bowl of peas in the background.
      Anglesey Eggs
    • A dark green soup bowl filled with creamy salmon chowder.
      Creamy salmon chowder
    27 shares
    • Share on Facebook14
    • Tweet

    About VJ

    Before I started my food blog I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, mostly made from scratch, using everyday pantry ingredients.

    Reader Interactions

    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

    Did you make this recipe? Let me know! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    A picture of Veronica in the garden in front of a pink-flowering shrub.

    Hi, I'm Veronica! Welcome to my little kitchen. Step inside and browse my collection of recipes collected over the years.

    More about me →

    Readers favourites

    These are my most viewed recipes:

    • Sliced silverside on a plate with carrots and potatoes.
      Slow-cooker beef silverside
    • Slices of oven-baked gammon on a serving dish.
      Easy oven-baked gammon
    • Overhead shot of a white serving bowl filled with beef and kidney stew. There is a large wooden spoon at the side of the bowl.
      Slow-cooker beef and kidney stew
    • A slice of bacon and egg pie on a plate
      Proper bacon and egg pie
    • A pile of crusty German bread rolls.
      Crusty German bread rolls (Brotchen)
    • A dish of twice-cooked pork belly garnished with sesame seeds and spring onions.
      Twice cooked pork belly - with a sticky glaze

    Footer

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Subscribe

    • Subscribe to my newsletter and get a free recipe ebook.

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 www.foodleclub.com

    Copyright © 2025 Foodleclub.com

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.