Crispy Tilapia Sticks with Lemon-Garlic Mayonnaise

Ingredients
For fish
2 pounds tilapia fillets
1 cup all purpose flour
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups panko
Salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder, to taste
Olive oil

For mayonnaise
1 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Cut tilapia into half-inch wide sticks. 

2. Set up three large, shallow bowls in an assembly line. Put flour in the first bowl, beaten eggs in the second, and panko in the third.

3. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Dredge fish fingers in flour mixture, shaking excess into bowl so just a light coating remains; dip in eggs and turn to coat evenly; then dredge in panko, turning several times to coat evenly. Set breaded tilapia fingers on baking sheet and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

4. Line a plate with paper towels and set by the stove. Heat olive oil in large, nonstick pan over medium heat. When pan is hot, place first batch of tilapia fingers in pan and cook until first side is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until done, about 2 minutes more. Transfer fish fingers to plate with paper towels and let sit for a minute to drain any excess oil. Continue to cook fish in batches until done.

5. Mix mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Serve with fish sticks. 

Comments
This recipe is from Once Upon a Chef.  I always joke to Lance that we’ll be having fish sticks for dinner, so I finally decided to follow through on that “threat” and find a recipe for them.  Panko works wonderfully here and the sticks were delicious and crispy.  I heated up the leftovers the next day in a 350*F oven and they were still great. 

The mayonnaise is a total cheater version of Aioli, but it was tasty nonetheless.  Feel free to make it from scratch if you’d like.

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