Fine Frozen Fish Sticks
My husband and I bonded over our love of all things food--from the "best" pie in Maine to the delights of ssam. Four years in, we've discovered discovered another shared, albeit closeted, love: fish sticks. I will preface this by saying my mother, who filled my lunch bags in the 80s with leftover veal sandwiches and this remarkable grain called "cous cous," would occasionally bring home a Stouffer's chicken pot pie (which I still love)--so I'm not entirely resistant to buying frozen prepared food stuffs. In fact, I love the Alexia line. That said, I wants some fish sticks, but the adult in me hesitates to buy Mrs. Pauls or Gordons. Should I just suck it up? Or can any of you serious eaters recommend a more "organic" or, heck "lower-sodium" brand to quench our craving? And can the rest of you forgive my taste?
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7 Comments:
I don't know what brand to recommend to you. What I do know, is that a couple of years ago I got a massive craving for Ms. Paul's Fish Sticks (and for the tarter sauce you make with that little packet of relish they include). The packet is gone, no packet!!! and the fish sticks have - well, they're not so much fish sticks anymore. They're this awful, awful mushy fish "thing" in a breaded coating.
I still think Stouffer's mac and cheese (the red box, not the lean cuisine) is one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten, so I totally get the love of old favorites.
I too, would love to hear about an actual good fish stick out there. My experience w/Mrs. Paul's scared me away from Gorton's, though they were never my favorite anyway.
chisai at 4:54PM on 02/06/09
I worry that frozen cod wouldn't taste as good as you remember it tasting. I am concerned by this. But my childhood memories of this frozen delicacy still linger.
Growing up in England, we didn't call them fish sticks, we called them fish fingers. We downed them, crisp and hot from the oven, with a good spritzing of malt vinegar. Those. Were. The. Days.
GoldenPig at 5:13PM on 02/06/09
First off I love anything that Stouffer's makes, even the chicken or tuna noodle casseroles. Maybe they have good fish sticks at TJ's. Go on a tasting fish sticks mission and try a couple different brands and have a taste test party, (with slaw and beer of course) with ALL the fixins and sides to go with it. I would be different but fun, I would come if invited. SOOOOOOO when's the fish stick party? lol.
pjracz10 at 5:19PM on 02/06/09
I actually like the ones that are Mrs Paul's, BUT I make sure to get the ones that are made with whole fish instead of "minced fish" which "she" also makes.
I'm partial to battered rather than breaded but have noticed a significant decrease in fish/increase in coating over the years. :(
MaresyDotes at 6:18PM on 02/06/09
Make your own. You can guarantee the quality !
Ribster at 9:00PM on 02/06/09
Oooh...Ok, so I went to Trader Joe's today specifically to check out two things: pierogies and fish sticks. No go on pierogies which made me sad, but they DO have fish. The problem I had was that they only had the breaded fillets (6 to a box, estimated 2/serving) for ~$6. They apparently SELL fish sticks, but my local store was out of them. They were just under $5 but I couldn't tell you how many.
I went ahead and got two boxes of the fillets and compared them to my beloved Mrs. Paul's.
We won't be going back. You get about 50% more (weight) per serving for LESS sodium (hubby's concern) and better calorie/fat/sat fat numbers considering the serving size ratio. While neither had trans fat, the only added fat in the TJ fish was canola or sunflower. All of the ingredients were pronounceable and there weren't a bunch of chemical preservatives.
OH! and it is SO GOOD! Again, this was the fillet, but my 2.5 year old LOVED it (and hubby and I loved the little bites we stole off of hers). She definitely got more "meat" than she would have from at least 6 regular fish sticks. I can't wait to try their actual fish STICKS! :) Now I just wish they were closer!
MaresyDotes at 12:16AM on 02/08/09
This is excellent advice. I shall be heading to the Trader Joe's directly (of course, the one in Manhattan is typically out of food, but I will try!)
Duckwise at 11:19AM on 02/09/09