Ingredients
- 1 x 2 kg side of salmon, skin off, pin-boned , from sustainable sources
- 2 large free-range eggs
- 2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
- 250 g wholemeal bread
- 30 g Cheddar cheese
- extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Something as humble and everyday as a fish finger can be made even more nutritious if you make your own, and even better, you can go jumbo in size! I like to use salmon but, of course, white fish works well, too.
- 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.
- 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 and whiz until you have breadcrumbs, then tip into a tray.
- Coat each fish portion in the egg mixture, let any excess drip off, then turn in the breadcrumbs until well coated all over. Transfer to a tray lined with greaseproof paper, layering them up between sheets of paper until they’re all coated (this is probably more bread than you need, but it is easier to work with – simply discard whatever’s left).
- 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.
Tips
Sides of salmon are often on offer – 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 action and take advantage of that great value!