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Fish sticks worth catching

By KATHY SAUNDERS
Published March 21, 2007

Until I married a fisherman, I didn't know how good fresh fish tasted. Admittedly, I have been turned into a fish snob, cooking only that which has been filleted on my own dock and aged only during the walk from the seawall to the kitchen.

But I paid my dues. In my childhood household, fish was served every Friday, not just during Lent. And, it was usually frozen and thawed yikes on the kitchen counter or in the sink.

More than likely, though, we ate frozen fish sticks. And we ate the cheap ones - they came crammed in a small, square box.

Taster's Choice panelists recalled the same fish-eating experiences. One, a native of the Midwest, said fish sticks were a mainstay on his family menus.

Even with the bounty of fish in Florida waters, nearly every store we visited had its own brand of fish sticks. Maybe it's because they are so kid-friendly. Or, maybe it's because of their familiarity.

We tried seven brands of breaded, frozen fish sticks and found several that were worth serving.

Wal-Mart's store brand, Great Value ($2.50 for 24.7 ounces), got 75 out of a possible 100 points from our judges. Three of the four said they would make a trip to Wal-Mart to buy the brand.

The bulk of the taste was in the breading. The Wal-Mart fish had a thicker breading that warmed to a nice, smooth texture.

Most of the fish we sampled was Alaska pollock, a white fish that probably started out with a pretty strong flavor before being minced and formed into "sticks."

Panelists said the Wal-Mart fish sticks were more fishy flavored than some of their competitors. But that didn't bother our judges. The manufacturers also didn't scrimp on size.

"These are very mild and slightly sweet and the irregular coating is very nice," said one judge.

Three of the panelists said they also would buy Mrs. Paul's fish sticks ($3.99 for 19.2 ounces at Publix). Mrs. Paul got 64 points.

One judge liked the hint of garlic she detected in the breading of Mrs. Paul's fish. She also liked the crispy texture.

"This reminds me of a McDonald's Filet-o-Fish sandwich," she said.

Only one panelist disagreed. He liked the color of the sticks but thought the fish filling was too gummy.

"These are very fishy and damp - not as from the sea but rather from the sea floor," he said.

Sweetbay Supermarket's Hannaford brand ($2.50 for 24 ounces) received 57 points from judges. Two of the four said they would buy them.

The judges praised the strong fish flavor, golden color of the crust and the crunchy texture.

But a couple of the judges said the Hannaford fish sticks were too thin. One compared them to "Twiggy" from the fashion world.

Also sampled were fish sticks from: Norsea ($6.39 for a 3-pound package from Gordon Food Service); Publix ($2.49 for an 11.4-ounce box); Gorton's ($3 for an 11.4-ounce box from Publix); and Fisher Boy ($2.96 for 24 ounces from Wal-Mart).

Panelists were: Nan Jensen, registered dietitian with Pinellas County Cooperative Extension; Bob Devin Jones, artistic director of Studio@620 James McConnell, chef at Pepin Restaurant in St. Petersburg; and personal chef and mother of four Julie Overton. All foods were tasted blind. Send suggestions for product tasting to Taste section, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 or e-mail them to krieta@sptimes.com Please put TEST SUGGESTION in the subject line. To read past columns, go to www.sptimes.com/food.

Judges' rankings

Fish sticks

1. Great Value

2. Mrs. Paul's

3. Hannaford

[Last modified March 20, 2007, 11:05:01]