Super Food Family Classics
By Jamie Oliver
Jumbo fish fingers
Golden crispy breadcrumbs
25 mins prep, plus cooking
Not Too Tricky
makes 10
About the recipe
Something as humble and everyday as a fish finger can be made more nutritious if you make your own, and even better, you can go jumbo in size. I like to use salmon, but white fish works just as well. It's the perfect family favourite to have in the freezer.
Recipe From
Ingredients
1 x 1.2kg side of salmon, skin off, pin-boned, from sustainable sources
100g plain flour
2 large free-range eggs
2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
200g wholemeal bread
30g Cheddar or Parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil
Top Tip
Sides of salmon are often on offer in the supermarket – it’s simply one of the realities of the fish farming industry that, due to variations in supply and demand, there’ll be surpluses. So when you see salmon on offer, take advantage of that great value!
Method
- Cut the fish into 10 x 120g portions. The nature of the shape of the salmon side means that they won’t be uniform in size, but that’s all part of their charm. I tend to cut the side lengthways about 3cm thick, then into chunks from that.
- Sprinkle the flour across a plate. In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs with the paprika and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
- Tear the bread into a food processor, grate in the cheese, add 2 tablespoons of oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, and whiz until you have breadcrumbs (see below for some exciting addition ideas), then tip into a baking tray.
- Turn each fish portion in the flour until evenly coated, dip it in the egg mixture, letting any excess drip off, then turn it in the breadcrumbs until well coated all over. Transfer to a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, layering them up between sheets of paper until all of the fish is coated.
- Cook right away or freeze in the tray – once frozen, you can pop them into a tub or sandwich bags for easier storage.
- To cook, place however many jumbo fish fingers you need on a roasting tray and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F/gas 6 for 15 minutes from fresh, or 20 minutes from frozen, or until golden and cooked through.
- Try blitzing garlic and fresh or dried herbs like rosemary, oregano or thyme into your crumbs.
- Finely grating in a little lemon zest will add a lovely fresh flavour.
- A small handful of porridge oats will add great texture.
- Chuck in some nuts for extra nutritional benefit, think almonds, cashews or pine nuts.
- A couple of anchovy fillets would be delicious.
- Add a sprinkling of dried red chilli flakes if you like a bit of heat.
Place the fish fingers in the air-fryer* in a single layer and cook at 200°C for 8 minutes, or until cooked through (you may need to do this in batches). If your air-fryer has a basket rather than shelves, you should turn the fish fingers over halfway through cooking.
*Tested in a 4.2-litre air-fryer. All air-fryers are different, so results may vary.
- You can apply this breadcrumbing principle to other fresh or frozen fish (if using frozen, don’t refreeze, cook right away), prawns, chicken and veg.
- I’ve made fresh breadcrumbs here, but if you have stale ones feel free to use them, whatever you have to hand.
Super-tasty served with oven-baked potato wedges and salad or steamed veg, or stuffed into a wholemeal bap with a spoonful of smashed peas and a dollop of tartare sauce.
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