I love this homemade takeaway alternative for a treat dinner: a crispy fish burger with easy garlic‑lemon mayo and a heap of addictive shoestring fries. This fish sandwich is a brilliant way to get the family eating more fish. Never made shoestring fries before? Read on for step‑by‑step tips to get them perfectly crisp.
Have you ever seen a fishfinger butty or fish sandwich on a café or pub menu and been tempted? It’s so simple to make at home, and a crispy piece of fish tucked into a bun with a squeeze of mayo or ketchup feels like the ultimate comfort food.
For something a bit more special, I like a chunky, golden fish fillet served on a soft brioche roll with crunchy shoestring fries and lemon garlic mayo. It’s a proper treat and easy enough for a weekend dinner.
It’s surprising how many shoestring fries you can get from just a couple of potatoes — usually enough for generous portions even after sampling a few while you prep. 😋
To get a crisp, golden coating on the fish, set up three shallow plates: seasoned plain flour, lightly beaten egg, and breadcrumbs mixed with a pinch of paprika. Dredge the fillets in flour, coat in egg, then press into the paprika‑spiked breadcrumbs so they’re well covered. Paprika helps deliver a beautiful colour as they cook.
I usually shallow‑fry the fillets for a few minutes on each side to get that instant crunch, then finish them in a hot oven. If you prefer not to fry, you can bake them: stir 1 tablespoon of oil into the breadcrumbs, coat the fish as above, place on a baking tray, drizzle the remaining oil on top and bake at 190°C/375°F for 10–12 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Pro tips for perfectly crispy shoestring fries
- Use a mandoline with a julienne attachment to get uniform thin fries quickly. Hand slicing works but is slow and uneven.
- Pat the cut potatoes dry with kitchen roll before frying. Excess surface moisture causes oil splatter and prevents proper crisping.
- Spread the fries out while drying so they don’t clump — separated fries cook faster and more evenly.
- Make sure the oil is hot enough before frying. Drop in one fry: if it immediately bubbles and rises, the oil is ready.
- Shoestring fries cook quickly — about 1½–2 minutes per portion. They’re done when golden and floating.
- Cook in small batches to avoid the oil boiling over and to keep the fries crisp. Drain each batch on kitchen roll and season immediately.
- If you need to cook several portions, fry until almost done and keep them in a kitchen‑lined bowl. Give them a 10–20 second blast back in the hot oil just before serving to crisp them up again.
If you enjoy shoestring fries, try them with different dips or swap the potatoes for rainbow vegetable matchstick fries or baked parmesan carrot fries for a change of flavour and texture.
If you make this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment with your tweaks — I love hearing how people adapt the dishes.
The Crispy Fish Burger with Shoestring Fries Recipe:
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Crispy Fish Burger with Shoestring Fries
15 mins
15 mins
30 mins
Ingredients
Fish burgers
- 4 small fillets of white fish (about 350g total), e.g. haddock
- 50g plain (all‑purpose) flour
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 150g breadcrumbs (fresh or shop bought; panko works well)
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp oil (avocado, sunflower or canola are fine)
- 4 toasted brioche rolls
- 8 lettuce leaves (Little Gem works well)
Fries
- 3 medium potatoes
- Oil for deep‑frying (avocado, sunflower or canola)
- Salt, to season
Lemon garlic mayo
- 100ml good quality mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp chopped chives
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F (fan).
- Make the lemon garlic mayo: combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, minced garlic and chopped chives. Set aside.
- Prepare the fries: half‑fill a heavy pan with oil and heat for frying. Use a mandoline or food chopper to julienne the potatoes (no need to peel). Pat the potatoes dry on kitchen roll to remove excess moisture.
- Set out three plates: seasoned flour (mix in salt and pepper), beaten egg, and breadcrumbs mixed with paprika. Dip each fish fillet in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, shaking off excess.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and fry the breaded fillets over medium heat for about 3 minutes per side until golden and crisp. Transfer to a baking tray and finish in the oven for about 5 minutes until cooked through. (See no‑fry option below.)
- While the fish finishes in the oven, deep‑fry the shoestring fries in hot oil for 1½–2 minutes until golden and floating. Fry in batches to avoid boil‑over, drain on kitchen roll and season with salt. If cooking several batches, return drained fries to the hot oil for 10–20 seconds just before serving to re‑crisp them.
- Assemble: place lettuce on the bottom half of each roll, add the fish fillet, spoon over lemon garlic mayo and top with the bun. Serve with shoestring fries.
Video
Notes
No‑fry (oven baked) fish option: Mix 1 tbsp oil into the breadcrumbs with the paprika. Coat the fish and place on a baking tray. Drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of oil and bake at 190°C/375°F for 10–12 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Gluten free: Use a gluten‑free plain flour blend and replace breadcrumbs and buns with gluten‑free versions.
Make‑ahead: You can crumb the fish ahead and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. The coating may soften but will crisp during cooking. Shoestring fries are best cooked fresh and don’t keep well ahead of time.
Which potatoes? Any floury white or red‑skinned potato works — Maris Piper or Rooster are good choices.
Breadcrumbs tip: Pulse slightly stale or fresh bread in a food processor to make breadcrumbs, then freeze in a bag. Keep them dry in the freezer so you can scoop out a cup when needed.
Nutrition (per serving, approximate): Calories 934 kcal | Carbs 80 g | Protein 32 g | Fat 54 g | Saturated fat 28 g | Cholesterol 139 mg | Sodium 895 mg | Fiber 7 g | Sugar 6 g. Use as a guideline only.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
This post was first published in January 2014 and updated in 2018 with new photos and additional tips.
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