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See why.The Best Fish Sticks
We set out to find a crunchy, golden fish stick that we’d eat just as readily plain as we would stuffed into a taco.
By Grace KellyPublished Dec. 6, 2021
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What You Need To Know
Opinions about fish sticks vary. For some, dunking a fish stick in ketchup is the ultimate taste of nostalgia. For others, the sight of them brings back memories of subpar school lunches. We happen to love them (so does Queen Elizabeth II—just sayin’), and we think that fish sticks are more than just a retro food item. Gussy them up a bit, and they can be a proper, modern meal. Nestle a few in a warm tortilla and top them with salsa and a creamy, crunchy slaw for a busy weeknight take on a fish taco, or tuck them into a soft roll with a smear of mustard and some minty mushy peas for a British-inspired bite.
We set out to find a fish stick with the perfect balance of crunchy coating and flaky, mild, and sweet fish—in other words, a fish stick that could stand on its own (and maybe even please our fish-skeptical friends). Our search led us to supermarket freezer sections around the Greater Boston area, and we came back with six nationally available products made from either whole fish fillets or minced fish. Five are made with pollock, and one is made with a blend of cod, pollock, haddock, sole, and whiting.
Fish Taste, Not Preparation, Matters More
Two of the products were whole fish fillets cut into “stick” shapes. The other four were made of minced fish. To mince fish for fish sticks, the skin and bones are mechanically removed, which breaks up the flesh in the process. The minced fish is then squished together into large blocks and frozen. The frozen blocks are cut into the familiar fish “stick” shape before being breaded and par-fried. Surprisingly, we didn’t have a strong preference for sticks made with whole fillets over those made with minced fish. Tasters preferred fish sticks that had a flaky and tender interior texture to fish sticks that were mushy, and how the fish was prepared didn't necessarily equate to a good or bad texture.
Fish flavor mattered more. In general, tasters preferred fish sticks made from wild-caught Alaska or Atlantic pollock, fish from two different species that are both sustainable, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Alaska pollock is an abundant northern Pacific fish that is similar in flavor and texture to cod. Atlantic pollock is found on the Eastern seaboard and has a slightly firmer and oilier flesh. Both have a mild, sweet flavor that tasters found reminiscent of “classic fish sticks from childhood.” One Alaska pollock–based fish stick ended up low in the rankings because it tasted “fishy in all the wrong ways”; this was likely due to the freshness of the fish and how it was handled.
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Everything We Tested
Highly Recommended
These sticks were made with whole pollock fillets, and tasters noticed, commenting that they liked the “visible flakes of fish,” which made it seem like they were eating a “breaded fish fillet . . . rather than a fish stick.” Tasters also liked the breading, describing it as “buttery” and as having a “nice crunch”; they also found the fish to be flavorful and “fishy,” but “not too fishy.” The size of these fish sticks was also just right, with tasters saying they were “substantial” and contained a “decent amount of fish.”
Although these fish sticks were made with minced pollock, which is often used to make cheaper fish sticks, most tasters enjoyed their flavor and texture. Tasters also praised these fish sticks for their mild and sweet fish flavor, “impressively crispy exterior,” and “buttery savoriness.” They closely resembled “classic fish sticks from childhood” and had a “well-balanced flavor and crunch.”
Recommended
While most tasters liked the breading on these fish sticks, describing it as “impressively crispy” and “excellently crunchy,” many were left wanting a little more fish. But the overall flavor was decent, with one taster describing the fish sticks as “salty, crunchy, and soft inside” and another saying the fish was “faintly sweet.”
Recommended with reservations
Described by one taster as “ginormous fish clubs,” these large fish sticks impressed our tasters at first sight. The flavor was good, too, with tasters saying the sticks had a “nice sweetness” and “the perfect fish stick taste: not too salty, not too fishy.” The only downside was a not-so-great coating, which some tasters found “chewy” and “gummy.”
Not Recommended
Whole some tasters praised the breading’s crunch, the filling was described as “fishy in all the wrong ways.” Others agreed, saying “the flavor of the fish is SO fishy. Not good fishy like sushi, but bad fishy.” Some tasters also found that, although the fish looked flaky, the texture was mushy when they ate it.
Described by one taster as “stingy little things,” these pale fish sticks were the skinniest of the lineup. Tasters also complained of a strong, off-tasting fish flavor. “Tastes like breaded and fried canned tuna—way too fishy,” said one taster, while another thought they tasted like “they put a bunch of fish scraps together and said, ‘Blend it up, boys!’” Notes of oily fish overwhelmed our palates, making these our least favorite.
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