Fishsticks (Homemade)

My mum used to make these on Friday nights. The trick is patting the fish properly dry before you bread it; everything else is just frying.

What you need

• 450 g cod or pollock fillets
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 120 g plain flour
• 150 g panko or fine breadcrumbs
• 40 g grated parmesan
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• Oil for frying
• Ketchup or tartar, to serve

How to make them

1. Cut the fish into finger-sized strips. Pat them very dry with kitchen paper.
2. Get three bowls ready: flour with a bit of salt and pepper in one, the beaten eggs in another, and breadcrumbs mixed with parmesan, paprika, and garlic powder in the third.
3. Dip each strip in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumb mix. Press the crumbs on firmly.
4. Heat about half a centimetre of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Drop a breadcrumb in to check — it should sizzle straight away.
5. Fry in batches, two or three minutes a side, until the outside is properly golden. Do not crowd the pan.
6. Lift them onto a rack, sprinkle with a bit more salt, and eat them while they are still hot.

Goes well with chips and peas, or just a big squeeze of lemon.