Crispy Baked Fish Nuggets with from-scratch Tartar Sauce at Home

Now… *ahem* Three reasons why straightforward to crave these fish nuggets (besides the fact that they are standout).

1. Because they have a crispy outside and a tender inside. Who doesn’t love that in regards to EVERYTHING?
2. Annnnnd you get to dunk them in a most savory tartar sauce. duh.
3. But mostly because they beat Gordon’s and Van de Kamp’s to a PULP in flavor, texture and real fish-ness. Can I get an AMEN?!
Let me break it down for you…

To make These Fish Nuggets Gather:

for the fish nuggets:

• fresh, wild caught cod
• eggs
• lemon juice
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• whole milk
• plain nonfat greek yogurt
• Dijon mustard
• Frank’s Red Hot sauce
• Panko breadcrumbs

for the tatar sauce:

• mayonnaise
• sweet pickle relish
• hot sauce
• kosher salt and black pepper (optional)

Let’s get started, shall we? Crack 2 eggs into a dish.

Measure out 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard and add it to the eggs.

Add 1 tablespoon hot sauce, it doesn’t make these “hot” only good flavor. Promise.

Next add in 1/4 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt.

Pour in 1/4 cup whole milk.

Whisk it until everything is smooth and creamy.

Measure and add 2 cups of Panko bread crumbs into a separate dish and then set the egg mixture and the crumbs aside.

Cod is a white fish obviously and it’s the go-to fish for nuggeting (in my opinion). And you need 1 pound.

Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over top of the fish.

Season it with salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Slice it lengthwise into long strips.

Cut the strips into nugget-looking pieces. Try to keep it uniform so they cook at the same rate.

Dunk a few of the fish pieces into the egg mixture.

Roll them around in the Panko. Pressing the crumbs into the fish if needed.

Place them onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Pretend that’s not a silpat, k? After I baked these for 10 minutes I remember that I truly shouldn’t broil using a silpat. So I did a little switch-a-roo and put them on some parchment. Do it the right way the first time. Don’t be like me.

Turn the broiler on, and with the door ajar, watch carefully so they don’t burn. Once they are a deep golden remove and let cool for a smidge.

Serve with this tartar sauce and I promise you’ll be so glad you did.

Dip. Eat. Repeat.

Seriously tho, MAKE the tartar sauce!

Bite, re-dunk and repeat. You could also stuff a few of these little nuggets-o-love into some toasty corn tortillas with some shredded cabbage and a squeeze of lime, maybe even some avocado and jalapeños for a little fish taco goodness.

Enjoy! And if you give this Fish Nugget recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!