Fish fingers is a delicious and crispy appetizer made with fish strips and flavorful ingredients. These tender strips are super addictive. You can’t stop with 1! We love to have it with tartar sauce or mayo. It is a childhood favorite dish for me.

I remember how we used to relish this dish at Hotel Surya International, Coimbatore which is currently the location of Hotel Vivanta Coimbatore. Dad would take us there around 12 pm for lunch. We would order each course patiently, sharing lot of conversations in between and enjoying the food too.

Dad has left us with so many memories indeed! I dedicate this post to him. Missing everything about him. After him, my mother was our dad, friend, mentor and everything. I wish I could be half as strong as my parents.

I am thankful to my dad for all the unconditional love and affection and for the beautiful moments he has left to cherish!

Now lets get to the recipe. I tried out this recipe 7 years back in Hyderabad. It consists of very few ingredients. Super easy to make. I used to do spicy version following the same method. I love how simple, yet flavorful these fish fingers turned out. My kids love this dish too. It has become a family favorite, exactly like what we used to have in Hotel Surya International, Race course, Coimbatore.

Happy Cooking!

Ingredients

• Fish – 500 g (I used Tilapia fish, but you can use any fish fillet)
• Egg – 1
• All purpose flour or Maida – 4 tbsp
• Garlic – 10 pods (grinded or grated)
• Salt – 2.5 tsp
• Pepper – 1 tsp
• Lemon juice – 2.5 tbsp
• Bread crumbs – 2 cups
• Oil – For deep frying

Procedure

• Clean the fish using salt and yogurt.
• Cut the fish fillet to thin strips.
• Prepare all the other ingredients.
• 1st Marination – Marinate the fish with lemon juice, salt and pepper and set aside for 15 mins.

• 2nd Marination – In a bowl, combine grated garlic, egg, flour, salt and pepper and make it to a thick paste.

• Add the 2nd marination paste to the marinated fish. Mix everything well. Marinate this for 30 mins.

• In a plate add some bread crumbs and spread it out.
• Coat each fish strip with bread crumbs. Do this step patiently. It gives a very good finish after deep frying.

• Refrigerate the breadcrumbs coated fish for 10 – 15 mins.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a thick bottomed pan. I used iron pan.
• Carefully drop in the fish strips, around 6 strips per batch. Deep fry in high-medium high flame.
• Cook for 3 mins and drain it in a paper towel.

• Serve hot with a lemon wedge and tartar sauce. Add finely chopped parsley to the tartar sauce. Tastes amazing.

Notes

• Make sure the fish is without any thorns.
• Any thick flesh fish works. My suggestion would be Tilapia / King fish or Vanjaram Meen / Tuna.
• The strips should not be too thin. Else it will be overcooked in the hot oil.
• Do not miss adding grated garlic as it adds more flavor. You can substitute with ground garlic too.
• Addition of spices is totally your choice. You can add more red chilli powder / paprika if you need a spicy version.