Homemade fresh fish goujons with tartar sauce make an excellent first course or sharing snack. It's like making your own fish fingers, but fancy.
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❓Why this is the best recipe
- It's fresh - Storebought fish goujons are never as tasty as homemade fish goujons, and when it comes to seafood, the fresher the better.
- It's easy -Whilst it might seem complicated to make homemade fish fingers, it is actually much easier than you might think. I'll show you what you need, and take you through the recipe step by step.
- It's fast - This recipe can be ready to eat in 20 minutes, so it works well as a quick and easy dinner or snack.
📖 Ingredients List
Here is what you need to make fresh fish goujons and a homemade tartar sauce.
For the fish goujons
- White fish - I like to make plaice goujons as my local fishmonger has delicious fresh plaice, but I have also made crispy cod goujons with this recipe. You can use any white fish, but you will need to skin the fish first with a fish fileting knife. Pat the fish fillets dry with kitchen paper to remove excess moisture.
- Flour - Use plain flour, or all-purpose flour to breadcrumb fish.
- Egg - This helps the breadcrumbs to stick to the fish goujons.
- Breadcrumbs - If you want a really crunchy exterior, use panko breadcrumbs which are made from Japanese milk bread and have a very dry and crispy texture.
- Salt and black pepper
For the tartar sauce
- Mayonnaise - This forms the base of the easy tartare dipping sauce. You can make your own homemade mayonnaise, or use storebought. But get good quality mayonnaise for the best taste.
- Pickles - Any kind of pickles work well in tartare sauce, be they gherkins or cornichons. We just need that crunch, and that tart, slightly fermented taste.
- Shallot - Shallots have a sweeter, milder taste compared to onions
- Tarragon - This herb is synonymous with fish recipes, with citrus notes and a very light licorice flavor.
- Parsley - Parsley is a great all-rounder in the herb world and actually enhances other flavors.
- Lemon - Season the tartare sauce with both lemon juice and lemon zest to bring out all the flavors and give the fish goujons some citrus acidity.
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and step-by-step directions on how to make fish goujons and tartar sauce.
👩🏼🍳 How to make this recipe
How to make fresh fish goujons
Skin the fish fillets and pat them dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
Cut fish fillets into thin strips and season with salt and pepper.
Place flour, beaten egg, and bread crumbs into 3 bowls. Breadcrumb the pieces of fish fillet by dipping them into the flour, then into the beaten egg, and finally, into the breadcrumbs so they are fully coated.
Deep fry fish goujons for a couple of minutes in hot oil in a deep fat fryer, set to 180C/355F. They are done when they are golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate or keep warm in a low oven on a baking sheet if doing a large batch.
🌟 Top Tip
Use one hand to dip the raw fish strips into the flour and breadcrumbs, and the other hand for the beaten egg stage. This will help you to avoid breadcrumbing your fingers more than the fish.
How to make tartar sauce
- Finely dice the shallot, pickles, tarragon, and parsley. Zest and juice the lemon.
- Mix the capers, shallot, pickles, herbs, lemon juice, and lemon zest into the mayonnaise and stir to fully combine.
👩🏼🍳 Chef's tips & Serving suggestions
Fish goujons and tartare sauce make an elegant first course, or a canape or snack to hand around at a party. Serve with a green salad and lemon wedges or alongside other seafood recipes like these crab croquettes or smoked fish terrine.
🍷 Wine pairing for fish goujons
The fish will need something light, but the tartar sauce needs something to stand up to it. I recommend serving a crisp Albariño as a wine pairing for white fish and tartare sauce.
❄️ Storage & Freezing
You can breadcrumb fish goujons ahead of time and store them in the fridge until ready to cook them. Once you have fried the fish goujons, they are best enjoyed fresh. You can gently reheat fish goujons in the oven on a baking tray but run the risk of them drying out.
You can also freeze fish goujons before you cook them. I normally freeze them on a plate, and then transfer them into ziplock bags (freezer bag) once frozen. You can deep fry fish goujons from frozen, but they will take a little longer.
🥣 Equipment
I always recommend weighing ingredients using a digital scale for accuracy.
Using a deep fat fryer is the safest way to deep fry and ensures you are always deep frying at the right temperature. Alternatively, use a deep saucepan but I highly recommend checking the oil temperature with a thermometer rather than guessing.
I skin fish using a fish filleting knife as it has a flexible blade and makes it a lot easier.
Use 3 bowls for breadcrumbing the goujons, any will do!
❓Recipe FAQ
You can reheat breaded fish goujons on a baking tray in the oven for 10-15 minutes, although they are better enjoyed fresh immediately after you cook them.
🍽 Related seafood recipes
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📖 Recipe
Fresh Fish Goujons With Tartare Sauce
Equipment
- 1 fish filleting knife
- 3 bowls for breadcrumbing
- 1 thermometer to measure the oil temperature if not using a fryer
Ingredients
Fish goujons
- 2 white fish fillets e.g plaice, cod etc
- salt and pepper
Breadcrumb coating
- 1 egg beaten
- 90 grams (1.5 cups) panko breadcrumbs or regular breadcrumbs
- 125 grams (1 cups) all purpose flour (plain flour)
- Neutral oil for deep frying e.g., canola or vegetable oil
Tartare sauce
- 100 ml (½ cups) mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 2 tablespoon tarragon
- 1 shallot
- 3 pickles small gherkins/cornichons
- 2 tablespoon capers
- ½ lemon (juice and zest)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
How to prepare fish goujons
- Skin the fish fillets by placing them skin side down on a clean surface and making an angled cut towards the skin through the flesh. Hold the flesh of the fillet up as you slice the knife flat between the flesh and the skin to remove it.
- Pat the skinned fish fillets dry with paper towels, then cut them into thin strips and season with salt and pepper.
How to breadcrumb fish goujons
- Take 3 bowls and place flour into one, beaten egg into another, and breadcrumbs into the third.
- Dredge the fish goujons in the flour to completely coat every surface. Then dip them into the beaten egg, and then toss them in breadcrumbs to coat entirely.
How to deep fry fish goujons
- Heat the fryer to 180℃/355℉ or heat oil in a saucepan until it reaches this temperature.
- Deep fry fish goujons, 2-3 at a time, then remove to a plate lined with kitchen paper. If you are cooking a large batch, place deep-fried fish goujons on an oven tray in a low oven at 150℃/300℉ to keep them warm.
- Make the tartare sauce by mixing mayonnaise with lemon juice, zest, capers, chopped herbs, diced shallots, diced pickles, and season with salt and pepper.
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