Crispy fish goujons

An epicurean adventure to: France

These crispy, battered fish goujons are the perfect finger food for your next party! They're easy to make and can be served with a dipping sauce of your choice.

Equally, toddlers and young kids love them! Serve with a healthy salad for lunch or a Friday night family treat with a side of chips or flavoured, spicy rice.

Follow our easy 3-2-1 frying method for guaranteed golden, crunchy fish strips that will give your local chippy a run for their money!

Fast facts - France

Location	France is located in Western Europe and is bordered by several countries, including Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and Andorra. It also has coastlines along the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the English Channel.
Language	The official language of France is French.
Population	Circa 67 million people.
Trivia	The Eiffel Tower, one of the most iconic landmarks in the world, was originally intended to be a temporary structure for the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World's Fair) held in Paris. However, it was so popular with the public that it was allowed to remain standing and has since become a symbol of France.

Key ingredients and substitutions

**Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full list of ingredients.

Fish

Feel free to choose your favourite firm white fish for this recipe. We've found that cod or hake delivers that classic fish and chip shop flavour we all know and love.

We have no affiliation with Aldi, but their 400g packs of frozen cod or hake work great for this recipe. You get four pieces of fish which when split lengthways, give you perfectly sized goujons of about 17cm in length and 4cm at the widest part.

If you have different-sized fish fillets to the above, you can slice them into the size strips you prefer. Just be aware that the smaller the strips, the less time frying it will need.

Other fish you can use for fish goujons:

• Haddock

• Sole

• Plaice

• Basa

Soda water

Adding soda water to the batter gives it a light and airy texture, which makes a noticeable difference. While Indian tonic water can be a good substitute, we must admit that soda water is the best choice.

Panko breadcrumbs

These irresistibly crispy breadcrumbs are a kitchen essential! We strongly suggest using panko instead of regular breadcrumbs. They are lighter and give a much crispier coating.

Panko can typically be found in the Asian food section of most supermarkets.

Oil

Use an oil with a high smoking point, like sunflower oil, vegetable oil, maize oil or canola oil. Olive oil will not be suitable for deep frying.

Step-by-step instructions:

Prepping

1. Use a small sharp knife to cut the fish into strips. For standard-sized cod or hake fillets, slicing them lengthways along the middle line will give you nicely sized goujons.
   
2. Pat the fish dry with a piece of kitchen paper to remove any moisture from the surface.

3. Place a double layer of kitchen paper on a clean plate. This will hold the cooked goujons and soak up any excess oil.

4. Spread half of the panko crumbs onto a plate or shallow dish. Top up with the remaining crumbs halfway through the coating process if needed.
   
   Note: Add only half the breadcrumbs initially, as they can become moist from the wet flour mixture. Save the dry breadcrumbs and add as needed for a crispy coating.

5. In a large, shallow bowl, combine the plain flour, salt and black pepper, mixing them with a fork.

6. Add the soda water and whisk until you have a smooth, lump-free batter.

7. Arrange your bowls from left to right, starting with the fish, then the batter and lastly, the panko breadcrumbs.

Let's make goujons!

1. Dip a strip of fish fillet into the batter and turn it around to fully coat.

2. Let the excess batter drip down first before placing it onto the crumbs.

3. With your clean hand, sprinkle breadcrumbs on the top side of the fish before flipping it. This keeps the wet batter from mixing with the crumbs too much, ensuring a crispier coating and preventing sogginess in the crumb bowl.

4. Repeat the process until all the strips of fish have been dipped in batter and coated in the panko breadcrumbs.

5. Over medium-high heat, heat about 3-4cm of oil in a deep saucepan. The oil should be deep enough to ensure the fish is almost fully submerged.

6. To test the oil, drop a few crumbs into it. If the crumbs sizzle and start cooking immediately, it means the oil is hot enough and ready for use. Turn the heat down to medium.

7. Carefully place the fish strips into the hot oil away from you to avoid splashes. Fry in a single layer, leaving space between each piece for even cooking.
   
   Immediately after adding, gently move them with tongs to prevent sticking.

8. Allow the fish to cook for 3 minutes before turning them over with kitchen tongs (the timer on your phone works great for this!)

9. Cook for a further 2 minutes before turning them around again.

10. Cook for a further 1 minute or until they are golden brown and crispy.

11. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the golden brown goujons to the plate lined with an absorbent paper towel to remove excess oil. Repeat the process with the remaining fish.

Serving suggestions

• As an appetiser with dips like garlic mayo, lemon mayo (add a bit of lemon juice and lemon zest to mayonnaise) aioli, dill mayonnaise, curry mayonnaise, tartare sauce, sweet chilli sauce, Dijon mustard or honey mustard.

• Lemon wedges.

• Make a goujon fish wrap. Add a sauce, some lettuce and chopped gherkins.

• Chips/fries.

• Cornichons (small French gherkins).

• Egg and chips.

• Potato wedges.

• Parmentier potatoes.

• Sweet potato wedges.

• Mushy peas.

• A simple salad, like this Jerusalem salad or Taboule.

• Flavoured rice, like this copycat Nando's spicy rice.

• Crusty bread or Danish bread rolls.

• Healthy brown rice salad.

• Coconut basmati rice

• As a side to a cold pasta salad.

Storage and reheating

For ultimate crispiness, these fish goujons should be enjoyed immediately. If you do find yourself with some leftovers, they will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.

The best option for reheating would be the oven. Place them on a non-stick baking tray and heat them in a preheated oven at 190C/374F for about 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.

Fancy a refreshing non-alcoholic drink with your goujons, why not try a Rock shandy? For other quick dinner recipes, try these chicken rissoles, pea fritters or this 15-minutes lemon garlic pasta.

For appetisers to accompany your fish goujons, also try these mini homemade pork and chorizo sausage rolls.