Do your kids love fish sticks as much as mine do?  Isn’t it funny how even the pickiest eater will for some reason gobble down those little fishies if they’re deep fried and slathered with tartar sacue?  Ok, well I’d eat almost anything if it was deep friend and slathered in tartar sauce.

Even my little brother growing up who ate nothing but peanut butter LOVED those fish sticks.  Granted he dipped them in applesauce, but I never said he was normal.

Anyway my kids love their Groton Fisherman, but I wanted something a little healthier.  I wanted to know where my fish was coming from and I wanted them to help me make it.  I also wanted to nix the frying, we all get plenty of fried food right?  So here it is…Oven Baked Fish Sticks n’ Chips!  They’re so delicious and if your kid thinks they’re afraid of fish, tell ‘em it’s chicken.

Oh yeah, I said it, I’m not above a little white lie to get my kids over the hump.  That’s how my Dad got me to eat sushi.  He told me the eel was chicken.  It was so good there was no going back…but that’s another story.

Serves: 4                         Prep time: 15 minutes                        Cook time: 35 minutes

FOR THE FISH STICKS:

1 ½ lbs                                  halibut fillet

1 c                                    all purpose flour

1 t                                    garlic powder

1 t                                     paprika

3                                     egg whites

½ c                                    milk

2 c                                    panko bread crumbs

½ c                                    parmesan cheese

2 T                                    extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

S&P

FOR THE FRIES:

2 large                                    russet potatos

1 T                                    extra virgin olive oil

1 clove                                    garlic chopped

S&P

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Slice your potatoes in half lengthwise.  Slice the half in half so you have quarters.  Then slice each quarter in thirds.  Place all your potato slices on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, chopped garlic, and S&P.  Mix well with your fingers to coat and bake at 425 for 30 minutes.

Cut your halibut fillet in half so it is about ½ inch thick.  Then cut the halibut into 1 inch wide pieces.  Pat them dry with a paper towel and set aside.  Get out three large bowls.  Add in your flour, garlic powder and paprika to the first, the egg whites and milk to the second, and the breadcrumbs, cheese and S&P to the third.  Mix to combine all the ingredients in each bowl.  Beat the egg white and milk with a whisk for a minute or two.

Pour 2 T of olive oil onto a baking sheet and spread around to cover.  Dip each fish stick into the flour mixture.  Shake off excess flour and dip into the egg/milk bowl.  Then dip into the bread crumbs and lay onto your baking sheet in a single layer.  Continue with the rest of your fish sticks.  Drizzle the fish with a bit more olive oil and put into the oven.  Bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until nicely browned.   Serve with tartar sauce or ketchup for dipping, and veggie crudite for dunking!

Meaty Morsel:  You can make this same recipe with other types of fish!  Try omega 3 rich salmon or super easy tilapia (a very nice and mild white fish).  You can even try it with some jumbo shrimp, just cut down on the cooking time by about 8-10 minutes.