Yes, you CAN fry fish fingers. In fact, some people would argue that frying them is the best way to cook them, leaving them with a crunchier outer coating.
Oven-cooking fish fingers can sometimes leave the fish inside dry. By frying them, either shallow-frying in a frying pan, or deep frying in a deep fat fryer, they are usually moister, with a crunchier and crispier batter or breadcrumb exterior.
You are not limited to cooking frozen fish fingers in the oven, deep fat fryer or frying pan, however.
What’s the Quickest Way to Cook Fish Fingers?
The quickest way to cook frozen fish fingers is to fry them in a deep fat fryer. It will take approximately four minutes.
This is closely followed by shallow frying and grilling frozen fish fingers.
What’s the Healthiest Way to Cook Fish Fingers?
Oil-based methods, such as deep fat frying or shallow frying fish fingers aren’t the healthiest options.
Grilling or George Foreman-grilling them will be the healthiest option, using the least amount of oil or butter.
Any fat or excess moisture on a George Foreman-style grill will drain down and into the capture chamber or tray.
How to Cook Fish Fingers in the Oven
If we assume that the fish fingers you’re cooking are frozen, you must take into account the pre-heating time for the oven, if you plan to cook them that way.
Some ovens can take ten or fifteen minutes to preheat, as well as the twenty or thirty minutes (depending on the cooking instructions) of actual cooking time.
Oven cooking frozen fish fingers can mean a total oven-on time of thirty to forty-five minutes.
How to Cook Fish Fingers in a Frying Pan
You can shallow fry frozen fish fingers by heating a little oil or butter in a pan, then adding your frozen fish fingers.
They will take approximately ten minutes, and they will require regularly turning and constant watching to ensure they don’t burn or cook too much on just one side.
A low to medium heat is best for shallow frying. This allows the fish to cook through while still allowing the batter or breadcrumbs to turn crispy.
How to Cook Fish Fingers in the Deep Fat Fryer
Deep-frying frozen fish fingers is a much faster affair. After a few minutes of pre-heating the oil to around 180 degrees Celsius, you can then drop the frozen fish fingers into the bubbling oil.
Just be careful not to burn yourself with hot oil splash-back.
In a deep fat fryer, frozen fish fingers take approximately three to five minutes to cook.
How to Cook Fish Fingers Under the Grill
You can also cook fish fingers under the grill in your oven. This requires a little pre-heating too, but the grill takes less time to heat up than the oven does.
Grilling fish fingers usually takes around eight to ten minutes, and they will require turning to ensure they don’t burn or cook too much on one side.
How to Cook Fish Fingers on a George Foreman Grill
If you have a table-top George Foreman grill, or another similar style of table-top, electronic grill, you can cook your fish fingers with it.
Once the grill is hot, add your frozen fish fingers and close the grill to cook both sides. It will take approximately eight to ten minutes.
If you have a one-sided grill without a lid, turn the fish fingers halfway through and allow them a few minutes longer of cooking time.
How to Cook Fish Fingers on a BBQ
You can also cook frozen fish fingers on your outdoor BBQ. You will need medium heat, and you may prefer to cook the fingers on foil or similar, to stop the crumbly fish from falling through onto the flames and charcoals.
Frozen fish fingers will take approximately ten minutes on a medium heat BBQ, and you will want to turn them regularly and check on them to ensure they don’t get too dark and crispy.
As always, always refer to the packaging of your food for the best, most recommended cooking times and methods.
Kim is a writer with more than a decade of experience, and a food enthusiast. When she’s not spending her time writing about her favourite dishes, you can find her in the cake aisle of her local supermarket, or making a mess in the kitchen.
