Fish Fingers & Custard

This Gluten-Free Fish Fingers & Custard recipe is easy to make and a flavourful way to bring a bit of Doctor Who to the dinner table!

Note: This recipe was first posted on my original blog, Celebration Generation, on August 20, 2014. It was transferred over to this blog - existing comments and all - on 9/20/2021

This Fish Fingers & Custard recipe has been a long time coming.

I'd been meaning to develop a proper fish fingers & custard recipe ever since Matt Smith's first appearance on Doctor Who.

Sure, it sounded weird... but I could make it work!

Procrastination (and apathy for the 11th Doctor... Sorry!) got in the way, and I shelved the idea.

Almost a year ago, a friend hosted a potluck viewing party for "The Day of the Doctor".

I decided that THIS would be the time to develop a savoury custard specifically to go along with fish fingers.

I knew that I could come up with a custard that would be far more edible than the vanilla pudding it was fashioned to resemble.

... but I had NO idea that I'd like it so much as to see it as a default accompaniment for fish sticks!

Gluten-Free Fish Fingers & Custard

I was just about to get started on Beyond Flour, my gluten-free cookbook (pre orders opening soon, btw!)... so I decided to also develop a gluten-free fish finger to go with the custard.

I mean, where's the fun in writing an epic cookbook, if you can't toss in a not-so-subtle nod to the fandom in there?

Super tasty!

I loaded the "breading" for the fish fingers with a ton of flavour, and kept the custard elegant, refined tasting, but savoury.

These are a world away from the mass produced, frozen fish fingers you buy in stores.

I was going to leave the recipe as a fun surprise in the book, but with the season premiere - and NEW DOCTOR! - coming up in a few days, I couldn't resist sharing this with you guys now.

Not gluten-free? Feel free to substitute butter/table crackers of your choice in place of the gf crackers. Not GF AND not feeling up to making the fish fingers? Go ahead and just make the custard - it goes just as well with store bought, as it does with these.

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5 from 2 votes

Fish Fingers & Custard Recipe (Gluten Free)

Back in 2014, I decided to develop a savoury custard specifically to go along with fish fingers, for a Doctor Who viewing party. I knew that I could come up with a custard that would be far more edible than the vanilla pudding it was fashioned to resemble.. but I had NO idea that I’d like it so much as to see it as a default accompaniment for fish sticks!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British, European

Servings: 4 People

Calories: 931kcal

Ingredients

Gluten Free Fish Sticks

• 1 lb White Fish Fillets of Choice. We use flounder
• ½ cup Amaranth Flour
• 1 cup Crumbs from Gluten-Free Crackers
• ½ cup Sliced Almonds
• ¼ cup Flax Seeds optional
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ¼ teaspoon Ground Pepper
• ¼ teaspoon Mustard Powder
• 1 teaspoon Dried Chives
• ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
• Zest of ½ Lemon
• 2 Large Eggs

Savoury Custard

• 2 tablespoon Butter
• 1 Tbsp+ Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
• pinch Cayenne Powder
• 1 Garlic Clove Pressed or minced
• Zest of one lemon
• ¼ cup Dry White Wine
• 5 Large Egg Yolks
• 1 tablespoon Corn Starch
• 1 ¼ cup Milk
• ⅔ cup Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

Gluten Free Fish Fingers

• Preheat oven to 375F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut fish into sticks, about 4″ x 1″ long. Pat dry with a paper towel, set aside.
• Place amaranth flour in a bowl, set aside.
• Pulse crackers and nuts in food processor until ground to crumbs. Place in a large bowl, along with flax seeds (if using), salt, pepper, mustard powder, chives, and lemon zest. Stir to combine.
• Whisk together the eggs in a separate bowl.
• Dip the fish into the amaranth flour, gently shaking off any excess flour. Dip next in the egg, and then the nut mixture, place on baking sheet. Repeat with all remaining fish fingers.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown, crispy, and cooked through. Serve with savoury custard as a dip!

Savoury Custard

• In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in Dijon mustard, lemon juice and cayenne until smooth. Add garlic, lemon zest and white wine, once again whisking until smooth. Gently bring mixture up to a simmer.
• While mustard wine mixture is heating up, whisk egg yolks and corn starch together in a small bowl or measuring glass. Once smooth, whisk in milk – a little at a time – until smooth and well incorporated.
• Once the mustard & wine has come to a simmer, add milk mixture, quickly whisking to fully blend the two. Bring up to a simmer again, whisking constantly. As it heats up, stir in the Parmesan cheese. Continue stirring, allowing the cheese to melt and the mixture to thicken.
• Once custard has thickened to your liking, remove from heat and serve. If not serving immediately, chill for future use.

Notes

* Not gluten-free? Feel free to substitute butter/table crackers of your choice in place of the gf crackers. Not GF AND not feeling up to making the fish fingers? Go ahead and just make the custard – it goes just as well with store bought, as it does with these.

Nutrition

Calories: 931kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 411mg | Sodium: 1912mg | Potassium: 693mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1753IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 483mg | Iron: 4mg

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