Let's get one thing straight; I'm no Mary Berry when it comes to cooking. Take my sponge cakes, for example, they are famous at birthday parties for the amount of water you need to drink while eating them.
But what I do care about is trying to feed my three kids healthily as best as I can and without having to buy 56 different ingredients to do that. Of course sometimes I'm strapped for time and I don't beat myself up when I turn to convenience foods like fish fingers or pizza every now and again. We're all human.
So when Parentdish challenged me to try and make some at-home versions of popular every day family foods, I jumped at the chance. Fish fingers have always been a freezer favourite in our house (in fact tell me about a household in Britain that doesn't at least occasionally have them on the menu) so I was keen to see if I could manage a homemade version.
I found this Hairy Bikers recipe (from TheHairy Bikers: Mums Know Best) really easy to follow and my two year old Joseph loved helping me make them. Both he and the kitchen were a bit messy after rolling the fish in the flour and then the egg yolk and breadcrumbs but it was worth it.
This recipe honestly takes less than ten minutes to prepare and is so much more delicious than shop bought alternatives. I used frozen fish so the finished result was economical per portion as well.
Admittedly frying them in oil as opposed to oven cooking might take away a few healthy points but the crispy and tasty end result is utterly yummy. Joseph then ate them with mashed potato and peas. I do not exaggerate when I tell you he chimed; "This is delicious, really fantastic Mummy".
Both my husband and I had fish finger sandwiches later on and loved them too.
I can honestly say I have been converted and will never buy another shop bought fish finger in my life!
500g thick skinless fish fillets cut into thick pieces (I used frozen but defrosted it first)
3 tbsp sunflower oil1. Put the flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs into three different shallow dishes.
2. Gently toss each fish piece in the flour, then dip into the beaten egg and then into the breadcrumbs until evenly coated. Put the fish fingers on to a plate.
3. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan until really hot. Then add the fish fingers and fry for 5 - 6 minutes, turning occasionally until golden brown and crisp on all sides. (You may need to do this in batches).
4. Remove the fish with a spatula and drain on kitchen paper.
5. Serve.