Fish Nuggets

These homemade Fish Nuggets are so much better than the frozen version from the store! A simple, breaded fish nugget that’s oven baked instead of fried!

You can make these homemade fish sticks in an air fryer too! Also be sure to try our Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets that go so well with Homemade Shoestring French Fries!

Fish Nuggets with Bang Bang Sauce on platter

Oven Baked, Crispy Fish Nuggets!

Here’s a little secret. I’m not the most adventurous eater. In fact, fish is one of the things that I probably like the least. I love shell fish of any kind but fish fish – not so much.

So I have to admit, even when they were done and the boys were shoving them down – I still wasn’t sold. But one bite of these fish nuggets dipped in Bang Bang Sauce and I was cured of my fish fear too.

We used halibut for this recipe which I have decided that I love – but you could also use cod or grouper or any firm white fish that you like.

How to Make Fish Nuggets

Start by making a breading station for your fish. Flour, eggs and a mixture of bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.

There’s an acronym that the cooking world uses for this to remember the order. FEB, like the abbreviation for the month of February, for Flour, Eggs, Breadcrumbs, in that order.

Fish Nuggets with Bang Bang Sauce ingredients

Bread the nuggets and get them on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle the nuggets with olive oil or better yet, use an olive oil spray to save a few calories.

Also, it coats the food more evenly than just drizzling it on – making it crisp up perfectly!

Even a non-fat cooking spray like Pam will work great, if you’re looking to save some calories. The more even the coating is the better.

Since we’ve posted this recipe, we’ve also made these fish nuggets in our air fryer and they came out perfectly! So if you have one, do try these nuggets in it. They are unbelievably crispy!

Fish Nuggets with Bang Bang Sauce going into the oven

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes until brown on both sides. Check the nuggets as they are cooking, you might need to flip them over halfway through depending on how they are browning. 

We like to serve these fish nuggets with a sweet and spicy bang bang sauce but you can use any sauce you like.

Prepare to have your minds blown – both kids and adults will have their plates cleaned in minutes.

Fish Nuggets with Bang Bang Sauce featured with sauce

Can I Freeze Fish Nuggets?

Yes! You can freeze these too if you want to make your meals ahead.  Just place the frozen nuggets on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

They’ll be perfectly crispy and ready for you when you want them.

These fish sticks are perfect for meal prepping, especially when seafood is on sale! Stock up on fish when it goes on sale and make a few batches of these homemade fish sticks and freeze them for later! Having dinner ready to go on bust nights is a total win.

Looking For More Seafood Recipes?

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Plate with homemade fish nuggets that are better than fish sticks

Fish Nuggets

  • Author: Dan
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 Servings 1x

These tasty homemade fish nuggets are so much better than the store bought, frozen version! A simple, breaded fish nugget that’s oven baked instead of fried!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds halibut, cod, grouper or other firm white fish
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (a crispier breadcrumb than regular breadcrumbs, look for them at your grocery store)
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • Bang Bang Sauce for dipping

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Cut the fish into cut into 1 1/2″ cubes to make the “nuggets”
  3. Mix the parmesan and breadcrumbs in a bowl, add the eggs to another bowl and the flour in a third bowl.
  4. Bread the nuggets first in the flour, shaking off the excess, then into the eggs, letting the excess egg drip off and then last into the breadcrumb/parmesan coating.
  5. Place the nuggets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  6. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes, then remove from the oven and flip the nuggets over. Return to the oven and cook another 7-8 minutes until the second side is brown.

Air Fryer Cooking Instructions:

Preheat your Air Fryer to 425 degrees. Add the nuggets in a single layer and cook for 7-8 minutes, flipping if needed to brown evenly.

Recipe Notes

Store: Store leftover fish nuggets in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Freeze: Freeze fish nuggets in a freezer bag for up to 6 months.

  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: American

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17 Responses
  1. AImee

    I haven’t made the nuggets yet, but I made the sauce to go with shrimp. Wow. It is my special cheat day sauce! Thank you!!!






  2. Matt

    Made some cod fish nuggets with panko following the directions to a T. Just with the bang bang sauce I had this weird garlic chili sauce but it still tasted great! Will be making this sauce a lot.






  3. Vicki

    I made my own beer battered cod nuggets, but used your bang bang sauce recipe and OMG it is GREAT! It is definitely going to be a staple in our fridge! Thank you so much!






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