Crispy Pan Fried Fish Fingers
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Prepare a fun hands-on weeknight dinner with these pan fried fish fingers — juicy on the inside, golden and crusty outside, with delicious lemon-garlic mayo for dipping.
If you’re looking for a way to introduce your kids to fish, these pan fried fish fingers might just be the trick. They’ve got all the hallmarks of kid-friendly fare—crunchy and easy to eat with your hands—yet they appeal to grown-ups too. The fish fillets are lightly breaded with panko, pan-fried until golden-crisp, and paired with a tangy garlic and lemon mayonnaise. It’s my go-to recipe for turning ordinary tilapia into something special.
If tilapia isn’t your preference, cod or haddock also work nicely, so feel free to use whatever you have on hand. And for more crispy fish recipes, don’t miss my panko-crusted baked salmon, tortilla-crusted tilapia, and panko-coated fresh salmon cakes.
“My family LOVES this meal! My pickiest eater requests it weekly and that’s fine by me as I also love it and it’s easy to prep ahead of time. The lemon-garlic mayo really elevates the dish.”
What You’ll Need To Make Crispy Pan Fried Fish Fingers
- Tilapia fillets: A mild, versatile, and readily-available fish, perfect for breading and frying.
- All-purpose flour: The first step in the breading process, it helps the egg wash adhere to the fish.
- Eggs: Act as a binding agent between the flour and panko, ensuring the breading sticks to the fish.
- Panko: Provides the outer layer, giving the fish sticks their signature crunchy texture.
- Olive oil: Used for pan-frying, it gives the fish sticks a golden color and crispy texture.
- Lemon: Brightens the flavor of the fish when squeezed over just before eating; also brightens the flavor of the dipping sauce.
- Mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s: Serves as the creamy base for the dipping sauce.
- Garlic: Infuses the dipping sauce with a pungent, aromatic flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Cut the tilapia into “fingers” by first cutting the fillets in half. Leave the thin sides long, then cut the thicker sides in half on a diagonal so they appear longer.
Set up three large shallow bowls in an assembly line. Put the flour in the first bowl; the beaten eggs in the second; and the panko in the third.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Dredge the fish fingers in the flour mixture, shaking excess into the bowl so just a light coating remains; then dip in the eggs and turn to coat evenly.
Finally, dredge in the panko, turning several times to coat evenly.
Set the breaded tilapia fingers on the prepared baking sheet and season generously with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook (this can be done several hours ahead of time).
Line a plate with 3 paper towels and set by the stove. Coat a large non-stick skillet generously with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the pan is hot, place the first batch of tilapia fingers in the pan, without crowding, and cook until the first side is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until done, about 2 minutes more.
Transfer the fish fingers to the plate with paper towels and let sit for a minute to drain any excess oil. Remove any brown bits out of the pan, add more oil if necessary and continue to cook the fish in batches until done. Season the cooked tilapia fingers with more salt if desired.
To make the sauce, combine the mayonnaise, lemon, and garlic in a small bowl.
Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve the fried fish fingers with the sauce and lemon wedges.
Frequently Asked Questions
The fish sticks can be breaded and refrigerated up to 3 hours ahead of time. However, it’s important to pan-fry just before serving for best results.
Yes, you can freeze the fish sticks before frying for convenient future meals. After breading the fish sticks with flour, eggs, and panko, lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze them on the baking sheet until they’re solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. They can be stored for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to cook, allow them to defrost slightly so they’ll lay flat in the pan, then follow the cooking instructions.
Yes, after frying, let the fish sticks cool completely. Then, freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet before transferring to a freezer bag or container, preventing them from sticking together. Reheat in an oven preheated to 350°F until they are hot and crispy again.
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Crispy Pan Fried Fish Fingers
Prepare a fun hands-on weeknight dinner with these pan fried fish fingers — juicy on the inside, golden and crusty outside, with delicious lemon-garlic mayo for dipping.
Ingredients
For the Fish
- 2 pounds tilapia fillets (cod or haddock may be substituted)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups panko
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
For the Lemon-Garlic Mayonnaise
- 1 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the Tilapia Fingers
- Cut the tilapia into "fingers" by first cutting the fillets in half. Leave the thin sides long, then cut the thicker sides in half on a diagonal so they appear longer.
- Set up three large shallow bowls in an assembly line. Put the flour in the first bowl; the beaten eggs in the second; and the panko in the third.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Dredge the fish fingers in the flour mixture, shaking excess into the bowl so just a light coating remains; dip in the eggs and turn to coat evenly; then dredge in the panko, turning several times to coat evenly. (This can be a messy job...it's best to use one hand for the flour and eggs and the other for the panko.) Set the breaded tilapia fingers on the prepared baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook (this can be done several hours ahead of time).
- Line a plate with 3 paper towels and set by the stove. Coat a large non-stick sauté pan generously with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the pan is hot, place the first batch of tilapia fingers in the pan (do not crowd) and cook until the first side is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until done, about 2 minutes more. Transfer the fish fingers to the plate with paper towels and let sit for a minute to drain any excess oil. Remove any brown bits out of the pan, add more oil if necessary and continue to cook the fish in batches until done. Season the cooked tilapia fingers with more salt if desired. Serve with lemon wedges and Lemon-Garlic Mayonnaise.
For the Lemon-Garlic Mayonnaise
- Mix the mayonnaise, garlic and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: You can freeze the fish sticks both before and after frying for convenience. To freeze before frying, bread the fish sticks according to the recipe, lay them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet to freeze solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container and store for up to 3 months; allow them to thaw slightly so they'll lay flat in the pan, then fry them according to the instructions. If you prefer to freeze them after frying, let the fish sticks cool completely, then freeze them on a baking sheet before transferring to a freezer bag. Reheat frozen, pre-fried fish sticks in an oven preheated to 350°F until they are hot and crispy.
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Hi Jenn, instead of frying can i bake the fish
Yes, Mars, but I would spray them with oil first so that the breadcrumbs crisp up. Enjoy!
I made this for the first time, and my family loved it. I had doubled up on the sauce, and now have a lot left over. How long do you think that will keep? If I make this recipe again next week, will the sauce still be good? Thank you!
Glad you liked it! I’d say the sauce would keep for up to about 5 days in the fridge.
We occasionally make frozen fish sticks for the kids for convenience’s sake, and this tasted like a WAY more elevated and delicious version of that. The dip takes it over the top. This will be on regular rotation.
Hi I have made this recipe and the children (and adults) enjoyed them. My question please is how long will the breaded fish last in the fridge please? can they last 24 hours?
Thanks
Glad everyone enjoyed! I’m assuming you’re referring to already cooked fingers? If so, I’d say a day or two.
Hi Jenn,
So excited to hear about your new book! Love the topic. I’ve been experimenting with different oils for different situations. I’m guessing you chose olive oil here because of flavor and medium heat? Or is it pan frying versus deep frying? Or is it the type of coating/panko and type of protein/fish/tilapia? Thank you for sharing your knowledge and talents with us!
Hi Laura, I used olive oil here because the tilapia doesn’t cook over high heat (and I try to use olive oil when I can). Any oil will really work here though. Hope that helps!
Saw this and thought it would taste good, so I gave it a try. I thought my goodness this is messy & I am not doing this again! I made the Garlic Mayo dip & tasted it and thought, even though I like Mayo, Garlic and Lemon.. I certainly don’t like this. Being new to cooking I was feeling a little disappointed with myself in trying this. Upon completion, I was so impressed with this dish! It was absolutely DELICIOUS and there was NONE left! My daughter who is a picky eater….LOVED it, she didn’t like the mayo dip at first and she added some Herb Mrs. Dash and it made the flavor enhance and it was so good, my mom who don’t like Mayo at all, tried the dip and loved it! My mom is a great cook, so to have her like something I fixed it amazing…lol her, my dad & daughter are my taste testers! My daughter is picky and loves my moms cooking because that’s what she grew up on because I wasn’t a “cook”..although I came from a family of cooks who made everything home made and had hot dog carts and restaurants, I never picked up on the cooking. My mom, dad and daughter and my self loved this recipe! There was NONE left! Jen you are so amazing and I thank you so much for sharing your talents and recipes and tips with us! God bless you!
❤️
These were really good! I added salt and pepper before breading and after they were cooked. We both really liked the mayo sauce too. I thought that it was interesting that you used olive oil instead of a high heat oil but it worked out since the heat wasn’t too high. Great job! In the future, I would probably make it with avocado oil and increase the temperature just a tiny bit more so that it soaks up less oil. This was our dinner and we found that the recipe makes a lot, enough for 6 people. The cooking time was perfect. Thank you!
I made these last night for the first time and we really enjoyed them! I was thinking it would be fun to make them bite size for a pick up appetizer, obviously I would lessen the cooking time. Thank you for another consistent recipe! Happy Mother’s Day to you ❤️
These were incredible! I was looking for a healthier version of fish sticks over the convenience frozen fish and these were perfect! My 3 year old loved them! Thanks so much!
This recipe works just as outstanding on Redfish! Caught a small Redfish that we brought home for dinner and this was the perfect recipe. My girlfriend loves a “breaded” fish and always loves a dipping sauce and this one takes the place of tartar sauce in more ways than one. One of my “secrets” I use when preparing the fish, use “bamboo skewers” when going from “flour to egg to Panko”, nothing sticks to your fingers!