Go to the Recipe: World’s Best Fish Sticks
the use of STP is forbidden in Italy - you can use it in soaps, but it isn't allowd in culinary use. It's a poison, says the law. In USA is it permitted??
Hi, Chefsteps. Tried to make them yesterday and I got my sticks very rubbery afterall. I procesed my cod in Thermomix just with salt, I didn`t have any ziplocks so I ligly vacum pack fish mixture, left it to rest to the next day, cooked them around 35 minutes and even before frying they came out very very rubbery like a mixture with lots of jelatine inside. What might be my mistake?
Waiting for your reply. Thanks
This recipe will produce a springier fish stick, that we like. If you prefer a less springy stick don't rest them in the fridge before cooking.
Just wanted to say thanks. this is a fun technique to use. Everything pictured is a variation of a Chefsteps recipe. Steamed brioche(instead of baked), aioli that is based off the Chefsteps kewpie mayo, shrimp sheets pan fried to finsh(same technique used on fish sticks just not breaded and fried), cucumber, dill, togarashi.
step 3: Ziplock N' Chill
^_^
Could the STP be replaced by SHMP? Thanks!
I really don't think so. Sodium tripolyphospate is to increase pH as well as allowing meats to hold their water content. Sodium hexametaphosphate is used to prevent premature gelling of hydrocolloids, and to improve texture in cheese sauces.
You may be confusing TSP with STP. TSP (trisodium phosphate) is a detergent.
As we cannot get "Lingcod" anywhere near us in the east, I just use basic Cod (or haddock) for the dish, and it works fine.
Can we use Activa RM instead of STP? If so, what amount would you recommend for this recipe?
I don't recommend it. STP and Activa (any of them) are completely different substances with completely different effects. If you do play around with it, let us know the results.
Has anyone tried this with chicken instead of fish?
Hi - soiunds good - what are "shrimp sheets"?
Tried making them 2 times so far, used only salt and cod and Thermomix to blend it. First time I didn't leave it in the fridge and it turned out quite good, only the 1,5% was a bit too much for me. Second time I've left it in the fridge overnight (salt level was reduced to 10 g for 1 kg) and cooked the next day directly from the fridge, chilled it. When I tried to cut it into sticks, it felt apart. What could be the problem? Too much time spent in the fridge or different quality of fish?
For both recipes I've used frozen cod.
Very yummy! I would say that it is interesting that the fish isn't seasoned. I feel like cayenne might make a nice addition. Maybe in the breading. I ended up doing Wondra, egg wash, ground panko, which worked out quite welk, too. Thanks, guys!!
Can I use lemon sole instead ?
Hey ChefSteps, the purchase link on the STP doesn't work anymore. Do you know where else this might be able to be purchased (which ships to NZ)? Thanks!
Hi Chefsteps, Thanks for the recipe! Was super excited to try these, but they came out very puffy and mealy. Before I fried them they were extremely delicate to manipulate. They were rested for 2.5 hours and probably my oil wasn't hot enough. My guess is that both the puffiness and the delicateness was because the mixture was too wet, and I should dry the fish before blending it. Any thoughts?
Hi, I just signed up to your website. Great stuff! I have the same question regarding Sodium tripolyphosphate, the link broke and I am curious to find out if indeed needed to make the recipe. Thanks for your input. Robert
You can find the Sodium tripolyphosphate on Amazon http://amzn.to/2BWUhmi
hi chefsteps! is it possible to put them in the freezer to store and fried them directly when i need it ??
I would love to make these! Will it work to air fry instead of deep fry?
Thanks Team!
Should work great.
How would this work with shrimp?
Amazing.
Was wondering the same. Tell us the results if you get around to trying it!
Super practical recipe to make use of the odd ends and trimmings of filleting after a spearfishing trip. The fish came out a bit too hard/jerky though, is this a cooking temp issue, a cooking time issue, a resting time issue, or is there an ingredient I could add to make the fish softer?
I would say if you are using the odds and ends that you trimmed off, they are most likely the pieced that have more connective tissue and gelatin. I would recommend adding those in to a mix that is made with fillet pieces at about 40-30%. That should get you a more tender fillet.
You can try less time when salting fish since the salt firms up the mix. What fish did you use? Could have been a firmer fish to start. Leaving the STP out should leave it less snappy. Egg white could be added as a tenderizer.
Hello I just wanted to ask a question. What if after you Sous vide the fish can you freeze it or even batter it first then freeze it so all you have to do is fry it ( of course I’m talking about properly storing it in the freezer vacuumed first then blast frozen). Thank you 😊
Hey Mohammad. Great question, sorry to say I haven't tried this yet. If I was to give this a crack here are the things I would consider doing.
-After the fish has been cooked and breaded I would freeze them on a baking rack for a couple hours or overnight.
-I wouldn't do a full vac on the bag, something maybe around 100 mbar. You don't want to compress the breading too much.
-Frying temp and time most likely would need to be adjusted if frying from frozen. Might want to go down to 375 or 350 °F for a longer fry so they can fully thaw without developing too much color.
-If thawing before frying I would thaw on a baking rack again to avoid the bottom side from getting soggy.
I think its a solid idea and should work well, just might take some tweaking. Good luck!
Thank you so much Nicolas your really helping me out here appreciate the little details too like the vacuum mbar and even with the hand mixer on the San sabastian video I make a lot of those and really great idea instead of siding it after mixing all the ingredients. I’m sure you know how much of a headache sifting that appreciate it💪
I was really disappointed with these.
They came out awfully rubbery. (Like... unpleasant to bite through, rubbery.)
I followed the recipe closely, (including the Sodium Tripolyphosphate) except for two inadvertent deviations.
1. I couldn't find Lingcod so I used Barramundi Sea Bass.
2. Due to an interruption, I had to leave the fish in the fridge for 24 hours instead of 3.
Were either of these the culprit, or are these sticks meant to bounce when dropped?
The taste was great though, and I was going to try again with a shorter chill time, but if the boing boing is intentional, I'll probably accept these aren't for me, and move on.
Thoughts?
