Crispy Fish Burger with Shoestring Fries

I love this make-at-home takeaway alternative for a treat dinner. Crispy fish burger with easy garlic lemon mayo and a pile of crispy and totally addictive shoestring fries. This Fish Sandwich is a great way to get the kids (and husband) to eat more fish! Never made shoestring fries before? I’ll show you how, plus some tips to make sure they’re perfectly crispy!

Do you ever go to a nice cafe or pub, see ‘fishfinger butty’  or fish sandwich on the menu, and be totally temped by it?
It’s the easiest thing in the world to make at home, but crispy fish on bread with a squirt of ketchup or mayo just seems like the best thing ever, right in that moment that you’re looking at the menu.

I love a good fish finger butty at home too, but if I want something a little more special for a treat, this chunky, crispy fish burger on a delicious Brioche Bun with a pile of salty shoestring fries is the answer.

And by the way – it’s almost a miracle how many shoestring fries you can get out of a couple of potatoes. Enough that I can serve up a respectable portion, despite the fact that I’ve been eating them constantly whilst preparing the rest of the meal 😋😋

To get that gorgeous crunchiness on the fish burger, dredge the fish fillets through seasoned flour, then dunk them into some lightly whisked egg (make sure it’s well covered so the breadcrumbs stick) and finally roll the fillets through breadcrumbs that have been mixed with a little paprika. I love the addition of paprika to breading, as it helps to ensure a beautiful golden colour.

I fried my fish first, then finished off in the oven, but if you don’t want to fry them, simply stir 1 tbsp of the oil into the breadcrumbs before breading the fish. Then place the breaded fish onto a baking tray and drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of oil. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 190C/375F until cooked through and golden.

Pro Tips for perfectly crispy shoestring fries:

1. Get the perfect size fries by using a mandoline (<– affiliate link) with a julienne attachment. Hand chopping is an option, but it will take forever!
2. Dry the potatoes with a little kitchen roll before frying. This reduces the likelihood of your oil boiling over because of the excess moisture. Trust me, I’ve done it, and had to mop my floor about 20 times to get rid of that oil spillage!
3. Separate the fries whilst you’re drying them on the kitchen roll. This will help them cook quicker and more evenly.
4. Make sure the oil in the deep fryer is hot enough. Drop one of the fries in the fat and if it immediately starts to bubble, it’s ready.
5. They only take around 1 1/2 – 2 minutes per portion to cook. They’re ready when they’re golden brown and floating to the top of the oil.
6. Cook a portion at a time (any more than that and the oil may boil over). If you’re cooking two or even three portions, place the cooked portions into a kitchen-roll lined bowl whilst you’re cooking the rest. They cook so quick, you shouldn’t need to keep them warm.
7. If you’re cooking more than three portions, cook until almost done, then place in a kitchen-roll lined bowl. Just before the fish burgers are ready to serve, place the fries back in the fryer for 10-20 seconds to heat back through.

If you like these shoestring fries, try my rainbow veggie fries with homemade herb salt too, and if you wanted to change up the fires all together then why not try these Baked Parmesan Carrot Fries instead!

If you’ve tried my fish burger with shoestring fries recipe then please rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing your thoughts and add-ons to my recipes!
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The Crispy Fish Burger with Shoestring Fries Recipe:

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5 from 3 votes

Crispy Fish Burger with Shoestring Fries

By Nicky Corbishley

I love this make-at-home takeaway alternative for a treat dinner. Crispy fish burger with easy garlic lemon mayo and a pile of crispy and totally addictive shoestring fries. A great way to get the kids (and husband) to eat more fish! Never made shoestring fries before? I'll show you how, plus some tips to make sure they're perfectly crispy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4 people

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, British

Ingredients

Fish burgers

• ▢ 4 small fillets of white fish (I used haddock) weighing approx 350g (12.3oz) altogether
• ▢ 50 g (1/2 cup minus 1 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
• ▢ 2 eggs lightly beaten
• ▢ 150 g (3 cups) breadcrumbs (either fresh or shop bought – panko breadcrumbs are good)
• ▢ pinch salt and pepper
• ▢ ½ tsp paprika
• ▢ 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• ▢ 4 toasted brioche rolls
• ▢ 8 lettuce leaves (I used Little Gem)

Fries:

• ▢ 3 medium-sized potatoes
• ▢ vegetable oil for deep-frying
• ▢ salt

Lemon garlic mayo:

• ▢ 100 ml (1/2 cup minus 1 tbsp) of good quality mayonnaise
• ▢ 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ▢ 1 small clove of minced garlic
• ▢ 2 tbsp chopped chives

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 190C/375F (fan).
• Make the lemon garlic mayo by mixing all of the mayo ingredients together.
  1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 small clove of minced garlic, 2 tbsp chopped chives, 100 ml (1/2 cup minus 1 tbsp) of good quality mayonnaise
• Half-fill a deep, heavy-based pan with vegetable oil and heat – in preparation for cooking the skinny fries. Use a mandoline or food chopper to ‘julienne’ the potatoes (no need to peel). Place the julienne potatoes on some kitchen roll and pat to remove excess water
  vegetable oil, 3 medium-sized potatoes
• Put the flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs on 3 large plates. Mix the salt and pepper into the flour. Mix the paprika into the breadcrumbs. Dip each piece of fish in turn into the flour, egg, and finally the breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess as you go. Heat the oil in the frying pan, then fry the fish burgers on a medium heat for about 3 mins on each side, until golden and crisp (Note 1). Finish them off in the oven for about 5 minutes
  50 g (1/2 cup minus 1 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour, 2 eggs, 150 g (3 cups) breadcrumbs, pinch salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp paprika, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 4 small fillets of white fish
• Whilst the fish burgers are finishing off in the oven, deep fry the skinny fries for 1 1/2-2 minutes until golden brown (check the oil is hot enough first by dropping a couple of fries in. If they sizzle and rise straight to the top it’s hot enough). Be careful when placing the skinny fries in the oil as the oil may boil over. You may need to cook the fries in a couple of batches to prevent this. Drain the fries and season with salt. If you do need to cook more than one batch, I’ve found it best to drain your first batch and leave them in a bowl lined with kitchen roll. Then throw them back in the hot oil for 20 seconds before serving. Trying to keep the fries warm in the oven can either overcook and burn them, or make them go a bit soft.
  salt
• Place the bottom half of each roll onto a plate, top with lettuce, add the fish burger, and finish with some lemon garlic mayo before topping with the other half of the bun. Serve with the skinny fries.
  4 toasted brioche rolls, 8 lettuce leaves

Video

Notes

Note 1: No-fry (oven baked) version of the fish -

If you don't want to fry the fish, simply stir 1 tbsp of the oil into the breadcrumbs, along with the paprika. Dip the fish in the flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs and place the breaded fish fillets onto a baking tray. Drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of oil. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 190C/375F until cooked through and golden.

Need a gluten free version?

For a gluten free version, you can replace the plain flour with gluten free plain flour blend. Replace the breadcrumbs and buns with gluten free versions too.

Make ahead?

You can coat the fish in the breadcrumbs, then cover and refrigerate up to a day ahead. The coating will soften, but it will crispy up during the cooking process.

The shoestrings fries can't be made ahead unfortunately.

Which Potatoes?

Any floury red or white skinned potato is fine. Maris Pipers or Rooster potatoes are a great choice.

Breadcrumbs tip:

Whenever I have leftover slightly stale or fresh bread, I like to pulse it in a food processor to form breadcrumbs, then place it in a bag in the freezer. No need to portion it - the breadcrumbs should be dry, so they shouldn't stick together. This means you can always grab a cupful of homemade breadcrumbs from the bag whenever you need them.

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Nutritional Info is per serving - including burger, fries and mayo. I've accounted for 90ml (1/3 cup) of vegetable being absorbed as part of the deep frying process for the fries.

Nutrition

Calories: 934kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 54g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 895mg | Potassium: 1174mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3945IU | Vitamin C: 29.9mg | Calcium: 230mg | Iron: 10.1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this recipe? Leave a comment below!

This post was first published in January 2014. Updated for 2018 with new photos and additional tips!

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