Review: Van de Kamp's Crunchy Fish Sticks

This product was provided for Frozen Food Journal.

I didn't eat a lot of seafood as a child. And let's just say the guy writing this review hasn't expanded his palette by all that much. But I have always enjoyed fried foods and, by extension, fish sticks. So on the rare occasion I eat fish sticks it's an experience that's foreign yet familiar.

Van de Kamp's Crunchy Fish Sticks is raising its game by making them from 100% whole fillets. No more minced meat pasted together into log shapes. But is the term high-quality fish stick simply an oxymoron? Let's find out.

The fish sticks arrive in a giant plastic pouch. Every time I baked the fish sticks I had trouble getting them to crisp the way I wanted. Of course, breaded frozen foods tend to be troublesome to propery cook. The instructions say to heat in a 425 degree conventional oven (Van de Kamp's does not recommend a toaster oven) for 12-15 minutes, flipping over the fish sticks halfway through the process.

The whole fillets definitely make a difference. If you break apart the fish sticks you can actually see the flaky Alaskan pollock. The texture is superior to other fish sticks. Also, as expected the fish flavor is mellow. Goes great with a hint on lemon. I was, however, disappointed with the breading and that's even excluding the crispiness issues. It's greasier than I expected and a bit bland. Considering the high sodium I was expecting more.

If you click here and look up FISH STICKS - 44 COUNT you'll find the old nutrition facts and ingredients. How do I know it's old? Because the first ingredient is minced pollock. The official Van de Kamp's website has an irritating cartoon fish that keeps screaming "yea" whenever you wave your mouse over it. Evidently that fish is too busy screaming to update the information on its products.

A half dozen of these fish sticks really has 230 calories, 35mg of cholesterol and 480mg of sodium. Each serving also boasts 200mg of Omega 3 Fatty Acids and ten grams of protein.

One box of 44 Van de Kamp's Crunchy Fish Sticks sticks runs more than five dollars. If you're out buying fish sticks definitely consider this product.