The Best Fish Sticks

We set out to find a fish stick with the perfect balance of crunchy coating and flaky, mild, and sweet fish—in other words, a fish stick that could stand on its own (and maybe even please our fish-skeptical friends). Our search led us to supermarket freezer sections around the Greater Boston area, and we came back with six nationally available products made from either whole fish fillets or minced fish. Five are made with pollock, and one is made with a blend of cod, pollock, haddock, sole, and whiting.

Fish flavor mattered more. In general, tasters preferred fish sticks made from wild-caught Alaskan or Atlantic pollock, fish from two different species that are both sustainable, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Alaskan pollock is an abundant northern Pacific fish that is similar in flavor and texture to cod. Atlantic pollock is found on the Eastern seaboard and has a slightly firmer and oilier flesh. Both have a mild, sweet flavor that tasters found reminiscent of “classic fish sticks from childhood.” One Alaskan pollock–based fish stick ended up low in the rankings because it tasted “fishy in all the wrong ways”; this was likely due to the freshness of the fish and how it was handled.

Then there was the Frankenstein’s monster of the lineup, a fish stick made of cod, pollock, haddock, sole, and whiting. Tasters found that these fish sticks had “a dark, earthy flavor . . . like an oily fish” and tasted like “breaded and fried canned tuna.” 

With this in mind, we recommend purchasing fish sticks made from one type of mild fish, preferably mild, sweet Alaskan or Atlantic pollock (Alaskan pollock is labeled as such, while Atlantic pollock is often referred to as just “pollock”).

To delve into what made up the best breading, we first considered the amounts. Did more or less breading equal a better stick? To find out, we calculated the breading-to-fish ratio of our winning and least favorite fish sticks using the NOAA’s guidelines (yes, they have step-by-step instructions on how to do this as part of their grading of frozen fish products). After we’d meticulously scraped away the breadings to expose their withered-looking interiors (seeing a naked fish stick was . . . jarring), we discovered that the ratios were virtually identical. So as it turns out, the amount of breading wasn’t the deciding factor in determining the quality of a stick.

Next we looked at the texture of the coatings. We found no major difference in bread crumb grain size that might make for a crunchier coating. We did notice top-rated sticks came out of their packages with rich golden brown crusts while lower ranked sticks arrived pale and wan. It was clear our top-rated brands brown their fish sticks more effectively at the factory, likely either by toasting their breadcrumbs more deeply before coating and/or by dialing in the time and temperature during the par-frying stage. 

We then looked at nutritional labels to see if there were any trends in fat and sodium, but we didn’t see any meaningful data. However, we did notice that one of our winning fish sticks listed “natural flavor” in its ingredient list. This fish stick was described as deliciously “buttery” by tasters, and according to our science research editor, those natural flavors could be the reason. 

Natural flavors are chemical compounds derived from plant or animal sources; they are added by food manufacturers to add specific flavors without adding an actual ingredient. This can include chemical compounds such as diacetyl, which has a buttery flavor.

While nutritional labels didn’t tell us much about what determines optimal fish stick flavor and texture, we did notice that both our winning products had simple ingredient lists with a noticeable lack of additives, such as food colorings and preservatives. For example, one of our winning fish sticks contains only minced pollock, a bread crumb coating (wheat flour, water, sugar, salt, yeast, and whey) and vegetable oil. In contrast, our least favorite fish stick contains ingredients such as sodium tripolyphosphate (which retains moisture) and titanium dioxide, a food coloring that is no longer considered safe for consumption by the European Food Safety Authority. Our takeaway: The simpler the list of ingredients, the better.

Gorton’s Crunchy Breaded Fish Sticks and Gorton’s Original Crunchy Breaded Fish Sticks both had a mild, sweet fish flavor and crunchy breading and were delicious. Both winners from Gorton’s are made with wild Alaskan pollock fillets, one in whole form, the other minced, and both had very few additives and preservatives. Even our fish-skeptic friends were fans.