Fish Stick Sliders
Fish sticks aren’t just for kids anymore! These Fish Stick Sliders are topped with a malt vinegar cole slaw, and they make for a fun (and tasty!) dinner.
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“OMG. Fish sticks! I haven’t had fish sticks since I was a kid.” As I’ve noted before, we like to have friends over for dinner. When the weather is nice, we might grill out on the back porch. Other times, we might order a pizza and chat by the fireplace or pull out some board games. No matter what we do, our weekend just doesn’t feel complete if we don’t hang out with friends at least once.
When Robbie was younger, he was in bed (or close to it) by the time friends arrived. Now that he’s getting older (3 years + a few months already!), he’s staying up a lot later. In fact, whenever we tell him friends are coming over, he starts listing which toys he wants to play with. It’s pretty hilarious! Staying up later usually means we are making Robbie’s dinner after our friends have arrived.
In true toddler fashion, Robbie only eats about 4 things for dinner. He’ll eat anything under the sun for lunch at preschool. At home, though? 4 things. Fish sticks are one of his favorites, and I always keep a bag of Gorton’s Fish Sticks in our freezer. On fish stick nights, he loves to eat canned mandarin oranges as well…and then he dips his fish sticks in the mandarin orange juice. The food blogger in me just shudders at the thought.
Every time we bake fish sticks for Robbie’s dinner, we get the same reaction from our friends. “OMG. Fish sticks! I haven’t had fish sticks since I was a kid.” In fact, I kinda felt the same way the first time we made Robbie fish sticks. There’s just something comforting about going back to the foods we loved as kids, right?
Fish Stick Sliders with Malt Vinegar Cole Slaw
Fish Stick Sliders with Malt Vinegar Cole SlawThis past weekend, we invited the same friends over to hang out, and I decided to get creative. I decided to use fish sticks in a recipe for adults. Gorton’s just released new Fish Sticks that are made with 100% wild-caught Alaska Pollock. Coated with a crispy Panko crust, these fish sticks are made with whole Pollock fillets (not minced). With no preservatives, artificial flavors or hydrogenated oils, I feel comfortable making these fish sticks for Robbie…which might be 3 nights a week!
For this Fish Stick Sliders recipe, I decided to add a fun twist by using cole slaw as a base. However, instead of using white vinegar in the cole slaw recipe like I normally do, I used malt vinegar. Malt vinegar pairs so well with breaded seafood, and this slight flavor twist was a big hit. In fact, we ran out of sliders, and I had to whip up another batch! Robbie happily sat there dipping his fish sticks in mandarin orange juice while the adults in the room enjoyed our Fish Stick Sliders.
If you haven’t had fish sticks since you were a kid, I challenge you to try Gorton’s new Fish Sticks. The wild-caught Pollock plus the whole fillets combined to make these fish sticks quite tasty!
Did you make these Fish Stick Sliders at home? Leave a comment and let me know what you think! Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). Cheers!
Looking for more fun recipes using Gorton’s products? Check out these other favorites:
Crispy Baja Fish Tacos
Beer Battered Fish Po’Boys
Spicy Beer Battered Fish Tostadas with Pineapple Salsa
Shrimp Scampi Pizza
Fish Stick Sliders
Ingredients
For the Cole Slaw
- 2 cups cabbage shredded (see note)
- 2 medium carrots shredded
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- ½ Tbsp sugar
- ½ Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1½ tsp malt vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
For the Fish Stick Sliders
- 24 Gorton’s Fish Sticks
- 8 slider buns
- ½ cup prepared tartar sauce
Instructions
For the Cole Slaw
- Using a large bowl, add all cole slaw ingredients; toss until well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Tip: Refrigerating overnight will allow flavors to meld better.)
For the Fish Stick Sliders
- Bake fish sticks according to package instructions.
- {Optional} Preheat oven to 300°F. Toast slider buns lightly.
- Remove tops from slider buns. Place ~¼ cup of cole slaw onto each bun. Add 3 baked fish sticks on top and then drizzle with tartar sauce. Place tops back on slider buns. Serve while fish sticks are hot.
Notes
I’m loving these! Count me on the list of people who haven’t had fish sticks in decades, but that’s going to change because these sound fabulous! And I’m a malt vinegar nut so I’m extra excited about the coleslaw. Have a great week, David!
I know fish sticks have the reputation as ‘kid food,’ but these new fish sticks from Gorton’s are seriously delicious. Whole fillet. Wild caught. Minimal ingredients (just panko breadcrumbs, Pollock and oil). I’m all in on these fish sticks now! In fact, I might have to start acting like Robbie and requesting them 3-4 nights a week. Haha! Hope you have a great week ahead, too, Kelsie!
Fish sticks dipped in mandarian oranges? It’s a good thing Robby isn’t in charge of creating your recipes! I do love the idea of the fish stick sliders. The crunchy fish topped with that coleslaw! Sounds delish to me!
Oh, you’re telling me, Kathy! Whenever Robbie dips his fish sticks in mandarin orange juice, I just look at him like he’s crazy. But you better believe I’ll tell that story when he’s an adult! Haha! So these fish stick sliders were a huge hit around here. And the malt vinegar coleslaw adds a fun twist, too. Thanks so much, my friend!
So we now know that fish sticks and mandarin oranges are two things Robbie eats (Correction: eats at home). From your previous posts I remember he does love blueberries as well. There’s only one item to be revealed – how exciting! And please don’t judge him for the combining fish and citrus flavours. Indeed they go well together beautifully. You should work on your palate David haha 🙂 Hopefully one day Robbie combines lavender with fish (It’s probably something from your nightmares) (But no kidding – I’ve seen a recipe for lavender crusted salmon.) Anyway, these fish sliders with coleslaw and tartar sounce look and sound delicious. That’s that rare example when there’s no lavender needed 🙂
Very astute, Ben! You have pretty much named Robbie’s list of things he’ll eat at home. Well, add toast to the list, and I think you’ve got it all. Haha! But the kid will eat anything at preschool. It’s crazy!
Now I know that seafood and citrus flavors do go together, but still. Mandarin orange juice is a bit of a stretch for me! Also, lavender crusted salmon? Umm, I’ll let you sample that one for me first. 🙂 In the meantime, I’ll stick to my fish stick sliders + cole slaw. Cheers, my friend!
David- you’re so right! I saw the title for this post, and thought m “I haven’t had fish sticks since I was a kid!” Ha! I can totally relate to your story about Robbie – my kids would eat Sweet Potato-Broccoli-Black Bean hummus on naan at preschool, then come home and not like anything except Mac n cheese (from a box). I still don’t get it. Oh well, bigger fish to fry, or bake! Thanks for the slider idea, I may have to resurrect the fish stick dinner in my house!
Hahaha! That comment about Sweet Potato-Broccoli-Black Bean Hummus on naan has me cracking up…mainly because it describes Robbie perfectly! *shrug* I gotta say that rediscovering fish sticks was not only a blast from the past, but all of our friends are loving ’em, too. Now we just need to pull out the old Nintendo and make a game night out of it! 🙂 Thanks, Laura!
Ah, fiskpinnar (fish sticks), most famous over this way. We have them now and then, often as a fish taco. But, never as a slider. Great idea for the Robbie in all us grown-ups. Enjoy these times David, as soon you’ll be the one going to bed early and Robbie will be the one up late.
Fiskpinnar, eh? I’m learning Swedish! (Well, a couple words here and there thanks to you. Haha!) I totally thought about using fiskpinnar on tacos, but the slider idea jumped out at me. Perhaps it’s because there’s a big football game on the horizon here in the States? Who knows. But I’m glad I grabbed those sliders because these were delicious! And you’re totally right about how quickly life changes. I’m already ready for an 8pm bedtime. Hah! 🙂
Love that the fish in these is wild-caught. I ordered fish and chips the other night at a restaurant and have been craving this sort of meal ever since. Love it.
Oh man, I love a good plate of fish and chips! Ask Laura…I often look for fish and chips on the menu when we go out. Either that or a good burger! 🙂 So, yes, I was super impressed that these fish sticks used wild-caught fish. And I also love that they are whole fillet fish, too. Those fish sticks are delicious, and even more so in slider form. Thanks, Valentina!
This burger sounds interesting David, I will try to make it by following the same process by just replacing the fish sticks to paneer.
Give it a shot, Puja! Let me know how that turns out. 🙂 I hope 2019 is off to a great start for you, my friend!
It’s so funny, because as soon as I saw your posts, I thought, “I haven’t had fish sticks since I was a kid.” No kidding. I used to love them, too. You’ve inspired me to go get a box.
See! You had the same reaction as our friends here. Fish sticks? I haven’t had these since I was a kid. Seriously, though, grab a box of these fish sticks. They’re wild-caught and whole fillet. Delicious! Thanks, Jeff!
An adult fish stick dinner, I love it. 😀
Exactly! And you know what, Karen? These sliders were a huge hit! 🙂
These look really yummy and a fast dinner (my kind of meal) Will have to put that on my grocery list in near future, haven’t made coleslaw in ages, good reason to get ingreds to make it !!
thanks for recipe !
Mar
Yes! Homemade coleslaw is so good! We make it quite often during the summer as it’s a great sandwich topper/side dish. The malt vinegar in this one is fun as it pairs well with the fish sticks. Definitely an easy dinner! 🙂
I make a creamy coleslaw with pineapple in it – sooo good – I put pineapple in a lot of things and it’s a great pizza topper !!
Interesting! I’ve never thought about pineapple in cole slaw. I bet the boost of citrus would tie the cole slaw into a number of other dishes quite well. Thanks for the idea, Mar! 🙂
It’s awesome in creamy coleslaw, I’ve made it that way for over 30 years. I used crushed pineapple, drained, save a bit of the juice for the sauce, add a tsp, or so of sugar – super good. Pineapple was my Daddy’s fave fruit, he use to make a marshmallow salad with it at the holidays – I still make that 😉
Let me know if you give it a try !
Oh man, my granddad used to make a marshmallow salad, too! I had totally forgotten about that one until you mentioned it. I’ll have to see if my mom still has that recipe tucked away! 🙂
Let me know if your Mom can’t find recipe and I’ll give my Dad’s
Now I’m wanting some Marsh salad, might have to make some this week 😋
Have a great day !
M
Sure thing! I’ll have to call my Mom this weekend and ask. 🙂 Funny how talking about recipes makes you want them, right? Have a great weekend, Mar!
Hi David,
I still haven’t gotten around to making the marsh salad, but I do have everything I need, so planning on making this week 🙂
Did your Mom still have her recipe ?
Happy Easter to You, Laura, Robbie and rest of your families
Mar
Hey Mar! She did indeed have the recipe…she has to go find it as she’s got it stashed away, but we had a good time talking about that recipe when I called her over the weekend. I hope you and the family had a wonderful Easter weekend, too! 🙂