These air-fried fish sticks are made with sockeye salmon, making them a wild, healthier alternative to fried chicken fingers. Crushed Ritz crackers give the salmon fish sticks a crispy, buttery crust that gets extra golden after a few minutes in an air fryer. A sweet, nutty, and savory dipping sauce gives the meal an optional Asian twist.
Try making this family-friendly recipe with younger home cooks — it’s an easy meal to prepare together, and fun to eat. Smaller children can help crush the crackers and bread the fish, while older kids may be able to help operate the air fryer when properly supervised.
Substitutions:
To make a gluten-free version of this recipe, substitute a gluten-free flour for dredging. Try rice flour, coconut flour, or even tapioca flour. Additionally, you’ll need to swap out Ritz crackers for a gluten-free option like rice crackers, then give the salmon fingers a spritz of cooking spray. The salmon fish sticks will be just as crispy, golden, and delicious.
For the dipping sauce, the recipe calls for the addition of furikake, a sweet-savory Japanese seasoning that is often sprinkled over a meal as garnish. Typically, furikake is made with seaweed and crunchy components like sesame seeds. If you can’t find furikake, toasted sesame seeds can be used to add texture to the dipping sauce. Gluten-free eaters should make sure that the furikake they’re using is appropriate for their dietary needs.
