Gorton’s Fish Sticks Review

I tested an 11.4-ounce box of these Gorton’s Fish Sticks , and was very much pleased and satisfied. This product that now sports more crunch, and comes with eighteen breaded fish sticks. The breading is thick enough to yield a substantial crunch for each bite without seeming too thickly larded with flour. With their mild spices, four of these sticks weigh 2.5 ounces; about the same amount as a typical breaded fish fillet. For me, eight of these, spread over two rolls, make for a hearty and filling 2-sandwich supper. They brown up in the most appetizing manner in the oven, and accept lots of hot sauce without becoming too soggy. I liked them. Here are my thoughts on these delicious, classic flavored Gorton’s fish sticks:

Benefits, Pros, Advantages, and Features

These breaded, crunchy fish sticks fit well on bread slices especially. However if you don’t use too many (four max), they work well on hamburger rolls also.
They have a seductive yet not-too-fishy taste, which makes them mild, yet satisfying at the same time.
You can be re-close the box with the built-in tabs that fit into slots on the top flap. This prevents the sticks from rolling out unexpectedly when you grab the box.
This fish contains lots of omega-3 fatty acids; excellent for sustaining a healthy heart.
Consisting of 100% minced Alaska Pollock without added flavors, you can feel good about your health by making this product a twice-weekly part of your meal plans.
No mono-sodium glutamate. Sweet. Or, should I say, less salty.
While baking, this food gives off a pleasing, mouth-watering scent, so that when finally finished, I’m quite eager to gobble it up. This olfactory prelude makes actually eating the Alaska Pollock even more exciting.
Texas Pete hot sauce nicely adds a gentle yet stingy red pepper flavor to these sticks.
I pretty much follow the baking instructions on the box that, in my oven at least, consistently yield hot and very crunchy, golden brown fish sticks.
Gorton tests this fish for mercury.
The best-if-used-by date is approximately ten months into the future. So you can stock your freezer with this product witout worries that it will go bad in the next year.

Disadvantages, Cons, Problems, and Concerns

These contain bleached flour. I prefer whole-grain, unbleached flour for more complete nutritional values.
They also have added sugar and preservatives. So these fish sticks definitely qualify as a processed, non-whole food.
They do not heat up well in the microwave. In fact, the box recommends against microwave preparation. But an ability to “nuke” this product would shorten the time-to-table from freezer considerably.
There is no inner plastic bag to protect the sticks from freezer burn. So if you desire to put these in your freezer for a while, you should supply your own airtight bag.
Be sure to attend this product while baking. If you let it in the oven for just a couple minutes more than the advertised bake time, it will burn (in my experience).

Cooking Directions

Position one of your conventional oven racks in the middle set of holders in the oven. The rack should be neither too close to the top, nor too close to the bottom of the oven.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
While waiting for the oven to heat up, line a shallow baking pan with aluminum foil to minimize cleanup.
Remove the desired number of Gorton’s fish sticks from the box, and place them in this foil-lined baking pan.
Then, once the oven reaches 425 degrees, place pan, uncovered, in oven, in the center of the middle rack.
Bake for 17 to 19 minutes total time, or until crunchy and browned.
Roll fish sticks over after 10 minutes.
Once baking is done, remove the fish sticks from oven. Note that fish is not completely cooked until its internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F or higher.
Turn off the oven.
Eat fish quickly, as it will cool quickly given the low mass of each stick.

Do not refreeze raw fish or prepare in a toaster oven or microwave, Promptly refrigerate any unused cooked fish.

Ingredients

Minced Alaska Pollock fish, enriched bleached wheat flour (flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil (cottonseed and / or soybean), water, yellow corn flour. Less than 2% of sugar, dextrose, salt, whey, baking powder (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate), yeast, onion powder, natural flavor, sodium tripolyphosphate (to retain fish moisture), TBHQ (to protect flavor).

Contains: Pollock, wheat, and milk.

Nutrition Facts

Serving size: 5 sticks. Servings per container: about 3.5.
Calories: 210. Calories from fat: 100.
Total fat: 11 grams, 17% DV.
Saturated fat: 3 grams, 15% DV.
Trans fat: 0 grams.
Cholesterol: 20 milligrams, 7% DV.
Sodium: 310 milligrams, 13% DV.
Potassium: 180 milligrams, 5% DV.
Total carbohydrate: 19 grams, 6% DV.
Dietary Fiber: 2 grams, 8% DV.
Sugars: 3 grams.
Protein: 8 grams.
Calcium: 2% DV.
Iron: 4% DV.

110 milligrams of EPA and DHA Omega-3 fatty acids per serving.

Our Rating

Though they could be better if created with whole grain flour and without sugar, Gorton’s fish sticks are still near-excellent eating, as long as you do not eat the whole box in one sitting very frequently. Over all, I find the aroma and flavor of this product appetizing and satisfying. They cost a reasonable amount, are easy to bake, taste delicious, and a quite healthy food. So I’d highly recommend them to anyone hungry for the taste of good fish. If you love fish like me , you’ll indeed love these Gorton’s fish sticks. I’d rate them at 96 out of 100.

Where To Buy Gorton’s Fish Sticks

Look for the bright yellow bos with a picture of the sticks alongside some peas and carrots on the front and the blue Gorton’s logo at most any larger grocery store.

References

Revision History

2015-02-03: Moved this post to the Tom’s Diet Quest blog, added whitespace, adjusted ad placement, and tweaked the content.
2012-06-07: Originally published.