Fisher Boy Fish Sticks Review

You get lots of fish sticks in this 24-ounce box of   Fisher Boy Fish Sticks  from Highliner Foods Company.  48 to be exact.  There’s also a plethora of fish types in the minced fish blend, for a highly complex, unique, and satisfying taste. There’s tilapia, sole, cod, and flounder, just to name a few.  I love this particular fish combination.

But these sticks are pretty crusty.  The minced fish itself takes up a fairly small portion of each stick, and the bread coating occupies a significant part.  24 grams of carbs per serving.  So that flour definitely adds some unwelcome calories, though it makes this product quite crispy.

This product has an appetizing aroma while baking and a satisfying taste while eating.  It’s mildly spicy, absorbs lots of hot sauce, and, and has but a small amount of sugar (2 grams).  It’s cheap, preserves for months in the freezer, and provides enough sticks for three meals around here; especially when served with macaroni and cheese, stewed tomatoes, et al.

 

Benefits, Advantages, Pros, and Features

  • You get 48 fish sticks per 24-ounce box.
  • Nice scent during preparation in the oven.
  • Surprising that the fish taste and small is so mild from these fish sticks, given the wide variety of fish species contained herein.
  • The breading tastes great, and has a decent texture.  I’d however, opt for more fish and less breading to improve this.
  • Several sticks fit well on standard or larger sized bread or bun slices for an easy-to-grasp fish sandwich.
  • Frank’s RedHot sauce adds something pleasing to these sticks.
  • No trans fats or MSG.
  • Tabs included on box for re closing, for when you do not finish all of it at a meal.
  • Included baking instructions produced well-done but not dry fish sticks.
  • A bit of horseradish or ranch dipping sauce also adds to the good taste here, though no condiments are necessary really.  This product tastes quite pleasant on its own.
  • Each serving (6 sticks) contains 32 milligrams of Omega-3 fatty acids, of the DHA and EPA variety.
  • The colorful packaging features Telly the Pelly for the kids.  They’ll enjoy looking at him on the box while eating.
  • According to the specified best-by date, the product can be stored for up to six months in the freezer without flavor degradation.
  • No bleached flour here either.  So enriching is unnecessary, and is not done here.

 

Disadvantages, Cons, Problems, and Concerns

  • Given so many sticks in the package, I was disappointed to find no inner freshness-preserving plastic bag inside.  So if you’re going to keep this product frozen for more than a few months, be sure to transfer the sticks to a zipper-lock style freezer bag.
  • Easy to burn these fish sticks given their small size.  So keep a watch on them while baking, as they’ll burn quickly if allowed to remain in the oven for more than two or three minutes longer than the specified bake time.
  • I would recommend against microwave oven heating this product, as you may end up with less-than-desired crunch and more-than-desired chewy feel.
  • The ratio of bread coating to fish is high.
  • Plus, with so little mass, these sticks cool within two or three minutes of completion of the baking. So, eat them fast.
  • I’ve only ever seen Fisher Boy products at Walmart.  They may be carried at other places, but I rarely spot them at smaller grocery stores.
  • Lots of sodium here (490 milligrams), and this is really compounded when I add my hot sauces.  So I generally prefer lower-sodium products.
  • Lots of processed and man-made ingredients in these fish sticks.

 

Cooking Directions

  1. Position one of your conventional oven racks in the middle set of holders in the oven.
  2. Start your oven heating to 475 degrees F.
  3. While you wait for this temperature, line a shallow baking pan with aluminum foil, to protect it from oily messes.
  4. For added anti-stick protection, lightly spray the exposed surface of the foil with a high-temperature-handling cooking spray.
  5. Place the desired number of Fisher Boy fish sticks in this foil-lined baking pan.
  6. Then, once the oven reaches 475 degrees, place uncovered pan in it, on middle rack.
  7. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, or until browned.
  8. No rolling half-way over is necessary, as this product cooks uniformly throughout without turning it over, half-way through baking.
  9. Once baking is finished, remove fish sticks from oven.  Note that fish is not completely cooked until its internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F or higher.  But if your oven is functioning properly and you’ve baked the fish for at least the recommended time, that internal temperature will definitely be achieved.
  10. Turn off oven.
  11. Eat fish quickly, as it will cool quite quickly.

Do not re freeze raw fish or prepare in a toaster oven or microwave,  Promptly refrigerate any uneaten, cooked fish. Discard any raw fish that’s been raw for more than a few hours.

 

Ingredients

Minced fish blend (whiting, sole, pollock, cod, blue whiting, tilapia, flounder, plaice, burbot (freshwater cod)), water, wheat flour, vegetable oil (soybean, canola and/or cottonseed oil), enriched wheat flour (flour, niacin, ferrous sulphate (iron), thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), modified corn starch, textured soy protein concentrate, contains less than 2% of the following: sugar, salt, hydrolyzed corn protein, guar gum, onion powder, natural flavor, nonfat dry milk, leavening (sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium bicarbonate), caramel color, anchovy and sardine oils, tilapia gelatin, tocopherols and citric acid (antioxidants), titanium dioxide (color), whey, yeast, modified butter, dehydrated butter, anatto and turmeric (color), spice, sodium tripolyphosphate (to retain moisture).

Contains fish (whiting, sole, pollock, cod, blue whiting, tilapia, flounder, plaice, burbot, anchovies, sardines), wheat, milk, soy.

 

Nutrition Facts

  • Serving size: 6 fish sticks (85 grams).  Servings per container: 8.
  • Calories: 210.  Calories from fat: 80.
  • Total fat: 9 grams, 14% DV.
  • Saturated fat: 1.5 grams, 8% DV.
  • Trans fat: 0 grams.
  • Cholesterol: 15 milligrams, 5% DV.
  • Sodium: 490 milligrams, 20% DV.
  • Total carbohydrate: 24 grams, 8% DV.
  • Dietary Fiber: 2 grams, 8% DV.
  • Sugars: 2 grams.
  • Protein: 10 grams, 20% DV.
  • Vitamin A: 0% DV.
  • Calcium: 4% DV.
  • Vitamin C: 4% DV.
  • Iron: 6% DV.

 

Our Rating

Mouth-watering taste, but this is a highly processed food.  Wide variety of fish, but lots of flour.  Cheap cost, but minced (not whole) fish here.  Not too filling, but can be made so if you eat triple the serving amount (18 sticks).  Lots of Omega-3 acids but also, lots of sodium.  So I believe I’d look for closer-to-natural fish sticks the next time I buy, even though in terms of sheer taste and texture, this Fisher Boy brand was pretty good.  I’d rate it at 80 out of 100 thus.

 

Where To Buy Fisher Boy Fish Sticks

Look for the red, yellow, blue, and white box with a picture of the sticks alongside the pelican cartoon on the front and the blue and blue and white Fisher Boy logo, at some larger grocery stores, including Walmart.

 

References

 

Revision History

  • : Moved this post to the   Tom’s Diet Quest   blog, added whitespace, adjusted ad placement, and tweaked the content.
  • 2012-10-08: Originally published.