Top 8: A handful of the best shop-bought fish fingers

The fish, while sustainably fished, travels thousands of miles, mainly from the depths of the North Atlantic, some from the northern reaches of the Pacific.

Pollock doesn’t have quite the same cachet as cod but comes from the same family, making it a cheaper fish for manufacturers. 

It’s a good one to buy from fishmongers if you can find it. I found just one pack of fish fingers made with fish caught in Irish waters. Most are processed out of the country.

Processed foods don’t retain as many nutrients as fresh fish caught in local waters, so making our own fresh fish fingers is preferable to maximise omega 3 and A, B, D, and E vitamins. 

If we take the WHO’s advice to eat fish twice a week, one of them could be a serving of fish fingers.

They make a quick standby as a sandwich filling when we get home from work/school or added to readymade sauces or soups for extra protein (about 16%, 20% in fresh fish). 

An air fryer does a good job instead of a large oven to be economical with power.

M&S 6 Jumbo fish fingers 

440g, €6.90

From a good range, including gluten-free, tasters quickly tucked into these for second helpings. Chunky, with 63% nicely flaky cod, the taste was fresh and the toothsome coating had oatmeal, rye and rice flour. Delicious.

Score: 9.5

SuperValu Cod fish fingers 

250g, €4

Four substantial fingers have beautifully fresh cod, with a natural texture as if just cut off the bone. The least processed of our samples. The breadcrumb coating is tasty and light, made with a hint of cider vinegar and sugar. A good Irish, local product at a fair price from O’Learys SuperValu, Tower, Cork.

Score: 9.5

Birdseye Crispy Batter 8 fish fingers 

224g, €2.89

Alaska pollock (a low enough 48%) is minced and coated with a good, crisp batter which includes just the right amount of mustard and garlic powder, lightly pre-fried in rapeseed oil. Get a head start with some baked potatoes or chips and fill the oven to capacity to economise on power. Tasters liked the balance of flavours and would buy them.

Score: 8.5

Tesco Finest 6 Chunky breaded cod fingers 

400g, €4.50

With 60% fish, these are indeed chunky and the substantial coating, flavoured with onion powder, turmeric, and paprika extracts, was tasty and not dry. Dextrose (a form of sugar) is listed, contributing 1% to sugars, though this is no higher than many of our samples.

Score: 8.5

Aldi The Fishmonger 10 breaded cod fish fingers

300g, €1.49

Atlantic cod 64%, caught in North East Atlantic (which includes Norwegian and Icelandic waters), has light breadcrumbs flavoured delicately with paprika and turmeric. Tasters weren’t excited due to the lack of flavour but enjoyed them more when dipped into tomato sauce. Salt at 0.39% is commendably low.

Score: 7.75

Donegal Catch Omega 3 Breaded 10 fish fingers 

250g, €4

A decent 65% Alaska pollock has rapeseed oil which adds to the amount of omega-3 oils. Tasters liked the texture and flavours from paprika and a low 0.67% salt. Produced in France, not quite a Donegal catch (a trademark of Green Isle).

Score: 8

Lidl Ocean Sea 15 Omega-3 fish fingers 

450g, €1.55

Besides the addition of fish oil, there are no differences compared to the non-omega 3 version of 10 cod fish fingers (300g €1.29) in the range. With 65% fish in each, this one is made from Alaska pollock - tasters liked its more interesting flavours. Good price for a sandwich filling (must be cooked first).

Score: 8

Dunnes Stores Family Favourites 15 Omega 3 fish fingers 

450g, €1.55

A good 65% of Alaska pollock has a mix of batter and an outer, light coating of breadcrumbs pre-fried in rapeseed oil. It needs tomato ketchup or some other flavouring to liven it up, but for the price, the texture is good enough and when cooked will make a good sandwich filling (try using mayo instead of butter on the bread) to satisfy hunger for a few hours.

Score: 7.75