Fish Nuggets {A 5 Ingredient 30 minute meal}

Make delicious Ranch flavoured crispy fish nuggets from scratch with 5 ingredients and 30 minutes. This great recipe is infinitely tastier than frozen fish sticks and it’s better for you, too!

These delicious fish nuggets or fish fingers are a great way to get a healthy meal on the table on even the busiest of nights. Both the ranch flavour and the crispy texture of these bite-size pieces of fish will keep even less enthusiastic fish eaters coming back for more.

You can eat these irresistible fish nuggets dunked in ranch dressing or homemade tartar sauce or ketchup; whatever moves you! And if you’re so inclined, fresh or leftover fish nuggets make the ultimate filling for fish tacos.

Even better, you don’t need to break out a pan full of boiling oil to get the extra crispiness these fish bites deliver. That’s right; these homemade fish nuggets are oven fried (baked) or air fryer fish nuggets. Cue the cheering!

Fish Nuggets Ingredient List:

1. Fresh Fish (Cod fillets, Haddock fillets, Barramundi, Etc…) or Fully-Thawed Frozen Fish
2. Mayonnaise
3. Egg
4. Ranch Dressing Mix (homemade or purchased)
5. Panko Breadcrumbs
6. Optional but tasty: Old Bay or lemon pepper seasoning

Fish Nuggets Equipment:

1. Measuring Cup
2. Whisk
3. Bowl
4. Shallow Dish
5. Oven or Air Fryer
6. Sheet Pan (if using the oven)
7. Parchment Paper (if using the oven)
8. Spatula

Oven Fried Fish

Before we even get into the fish nuggets recipe, we need to chat a little bit about what type of fish to use for your homemade fish nuggets. For the best results, use a mild, firm-fleshed, relatively lean white fish like cod, haddock, barramundi, or Alaskan Pollock.

It’s best to avoid particularly fatty or strong tasting fishes like salmon, trout, or flounder. These kinds of fish just don’t work as well in this particular recipe.

How to Fry Fish in the Oven

The key to keeping your fish tender and succulent while achieving a super crispy crust lies in the breading ingredients and method. Panko breadcrumbs do the heavy lifting in the crunch category.

You can use white or whole grain panko bread crumbs, but do choose unseasoned ones. You don’t want the breadcrumbs to clash with the ranch dressing mix in the mayonnaise and egg binder.

But all the crunch in the world won’t help if you can’t get the breading to stick to the fish. And that is where our not-so-secret magic mixture comes into the picture.

While many breaded fish recipes call for a mixture of egg and milk, ours uses mayonnaise and egg. I realize that’s like an egg inception since egg is what emulsifies mayonnaise, but this mayonnaise and egg mixture seals the moisture in the fish while holding the ultra crunchy panko breadcrumbs in place.

And let me tell you something… This little bit of magic creates fish nuggets that rival the crunchy perfection of deep fried fish without anything more than a little oil sprayed on them before they go in the oven or deep fryer.

Fish Nuggets

To Make Fish Nuggets in the Oven

Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil (dull side up). Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Stir together the mayonnaise, egg, and ranch dressing mix in a shallow bowl until smooth. Spread the panko crumbs in a shallow dish like a pie plate. Arrange these near the prepared baking sheet.

Cut the fish fillets into 2-inch square pieces or as close to it as you can get. Dip them, one at a time, in the ranch mixture, rolling to ensure it’s covered evenly.

Lift it, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl, then put into the panko crumb dish. Use your clean hand to toss some of the panko crumbs over the top of the fish piece, then flip to be sure all sides are covered in crumbs.

Place it on the baking sheet. Repeat until all the pieces of fish have been coated and are arranged in a single layer on the pan. Lightly spritz the tops of the fish nuggets with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray and put the pan into the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the fish is firm to the touch, the bread crumbs are golden brown, and the internal temperature of the fish is 120ºF. Serve immediately with your choice of dipping sauces.

If desired, sprinkle with Old Bay or Lemon Pepper Seasoning. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftovers can be served cold or reheated in an air fryer or moderate oven.

To Air Fry Fish Nuggets

Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes.

Stir together the mayonnaise, egg, and ranch dressing mix in a shallow bowl until smooth. Spread the panko crumbs in a shallow dish like a pie plate. Arrange these near a sheet pan or tray that can hold your prepared fish bites.

Cut the fish filets into 2-inch square pieces or as close to it as you can get. Dip them, one at a time, in the ranch mixture, rolling to ensure it’s covered evenly.

Lift it, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl, then put into the panko crumb dish. Use your clean hand to toss some of the panko crumbs over the top of the fish piece, then flip to be sure all sides are covered in crumbs.

Place it on the baking sheet or tray. Repeat until all the pieces of fish have been coated. Lightly spritz the tops of the fish nuggets with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange a single layer of the fish in the air fryer basket, making sure there is space around each nugget to allow air to circulate.

Bake for 8 minutes at 375ºF or until the fish is firm to the touch, the bread crumbs are golden brown, and the internal temperature of the fish is 120ºF. Serve immediately with your choice of dipping sauces.

If desired, sprinkle with Old Bay or Lemon Pepper Seasoning. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftovers can be served cold or reheated in an air fryer or moderate oven.

Baked Ranch Fish Nuggets

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Rebecca Lindamood

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

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Make delicious Ranch seasoned crispy fish nuggets from scratch with 5 ingredients and 30 minutes. This great recipe is infinitely tastier than frozen fish sticks and it's better for you, too! These delicious fish nuggets or fish fingers are a great way to get a healthy meal on the table on even the busiest of nights.

Equipment

• 1 oven or air fryer
• 1 rimmed sheet pan (or air fryer basket)
• 1 sheet of parchment paper
• 1 whisk
• 1 small mixing bowl
• 1 shallow bowl
• 1 spatula

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 1/2 pounds firm fleshed white fish filets Barramundi, Cod, Tilapia are all good choices., boneless, skinless
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons dry buttermilk ranch dressing mix homemade or purchased
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs regular or gluten free
• nonstick cooking spray

Optional but tasty

• Old Bay seasoning or Lemon Pepper Seasoning to taste

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil (dull side up). Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• Stir together the mayonnaise, egg, and ranch dressing mix in a shallow bowl until smooth. Spread the panko crumbs in a pie plate or 8-inch cake pan. Arrange these near the prepared baking sheet.
• Cut the fish filets into 2-inch square pieces or as close to it as you can get. Dip them, one at a time, in the ranch mixture, rolling to ensure it's covered evenly. Lift it, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl, then put into the panko crumb dish. Use your clean hand to toss some of the panko crumbs over the top of the fish piece, then flip to be sure all sides are covered in crumbs.
• Place it on the baking sheet. Repeat until all the pieces of fish have been coated. Lightly spritz the tops of the fish nuggets with non-stick cooking spray and put the pan into the oven.
• Bake for 15 minutes, or until the fish is firm to the touch and the bread crumbs are golden brown. Serve immediately with your choice of dipping sauces.

Nutrition

Calories: 388kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 29gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 11gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.05gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 854mgPotassium: 626mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 117IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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