Salt and Pepper Fish Nuggets with Hot Honey
Why aren’t fish nuggets more of a thing? They’re delicious and they have a better fish-to-crispy-coating ratio than goujons or fingers/sticks. These ones are flavoured with Chinese five spice and Sichuan peppercorns, for that salt and pepper vibe, and finished with lots of hot honey.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
- 260g cod loins
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tsp Chinese five spice
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, ground
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 100g panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- vegetable oil, for deep frying
- hot honey, to serve
Instructions
- Slice the cod loins into small chunks, then sprinkle over the plain flour, Chinese five spice and Sichuan peppercorns. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss well to coat.
- Place the beaten eggs and panko breadcrumbs in two separate large mixing bowls. Season the eggs with salt and pepper and beat to combine.
- Toss the floured cod pieces in egg then panko breadcrumbs. You can do this individually or in batches. Optionally, you can toss them in egg and panko again to create a double coating for an extra crispy shell.
- Fill a large saucepan up halfway with vegetable oil and set it over a medium-high heat. Heat the oil to 180°C. If you don’t have a food thermometer, place the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil: the oil will bubble rapidly around it when it’s ready for frying.
- Fry the fish nuggets until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to drain.
- Serve topped with lots of hot honey and/or your dip of choice.
Notes
You can bake or air fry the fish nuggets though it is much more effort as you first need to toast the breadcrumbs. Why? Because the fish cooks very quickly, which doesn’t give the crust enough time to brown, which in turn means it’ll be pale and blotchy rather than golden and crispy. To do this, toss the panko with a tablespoon of vegetable oil then spread in an even layer on a small baking tray. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden, then leave to cool. Use this to bread the fish.You can then either air fry the nuggets at 200°C for 5 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through, or bake at 200°C for 9 to 11 minutes, or until cooked through.