Fish Fingers

Ubbquittious

These used to be good in the 90's but what happened to them?

I have a conspiracy theory that they were slowly ruined by smirking execs with big bellies and expensive suits walking around the top floor of a glass corporate office somewhere in Slough, Newbury, perhaps even Dublin.

Until the mid 90's there was still a decent supply of cod in the sea and there weren't that many different brands of fish finger. The local Irish supplier had a handy number supplying a quality product with plenty of cod inside in it and saw little reason to change.

But then the evils of globalisation took over. Quinnsworth were bought out and started peddling their own inferior fish fingers from d'UK at knock-down prices and there was a global collapse in the supply of cod due to the fact that the fishermen laced with all their newfangled technological gadgets and thingimebobs were just too good at catching 100% of the cod in the sea.

The local guy couldn't sell his product for the same price, but didn't want to lose the all important lucrative supermarket contracts so he kept making his fish fingers but he made them worse out of necessity. Bits of tail, mechanically separated meat, they even tried using different breeds of fish just to stay in the game. The amount of fish per fish finger also decreased over time, sometimes the layer of breadcrumbs was thickened slightly to compensate but to little avail.

By the time he had finished messing he had ruined this once highly regarded food item for a generation. The fish finger industry never recovered from this turn of events and now we live in a world where the only way to recreate a 90's fish finger is to buy an expensive cut of cod in a posh artisan food shop, cut into rectangular pieces and cover in chape breadcrumbs from a catering supplier yourself.

Night night internets.

fatbhoy

Should have seen the '70s ones. :cool:

KungPao

Don't you hate pants?

retro:electro

I accidently bought the Birds Eye battered fish fingers instead of the breaded ones! Fcukin raaaank. Breaded ones for life.

retro:electro

But fish don't have fingers?

Day Lewin

anna080 wrote: »

But fish don't have fingers?

[see thread above] and this is why fish don't have fingers.

Just be glad you didn't have to endure Cod Balls. (It was a thing)
Though as the OP pointed out, the codfish were in decline and close to extinction, and I'm sure you can see why!

riffmongous

This is why I still come to AH, **** off American politics/social ****e, we need to deal with the real issues.

Virtanen

SuperValu own-brand fish fingers are Godly

Fish finger sandwiches n'yom n'yom n'yom.

Ubbquittious

Virtanen wrote: »

SuperValu own-brand fish fingers are Godly

I must try them. It's worth paying the extra for a fish finger that's at least edible

anewme

M&S do lovely fish fingers.

Made a yummy fish finger sambo with them, tiger bread, homemade tartare and minty peas. Yum!!!

Pat Mustard

Ubbquittious wrote: »

I have a conspiracy theory that they were slowly ruined by smirking execs with big bellies and expensive suits walking around the top floor of a glass corporate office somewhere in Slough,

retro:electro

Virtanen wrote: »

SuperValu own-brand fish fingers are Godly

Are they? I must try. I don't know why but I've always been loyal to Birds Eye. Just assumed they did the best.
Love talking about fishy fingers at half 11 of a Wednesday.

The Backwards Man

What's the difference between a fish and a piano?
You can't tuna fish

Greatest album ever.

Love fish fingers but I often notice the meat inside them is like purple or black. Doesn't really bother me though.

UncleAlbert00

Deleted User wrote: »

Love fish fingers but I often notice the meat inside them is like purple or black. Doesn't really bother me though.

Don't eat a full fish..

Burial.

Fish finger sandwiches used to be my go to drunk food in college if I didn't get pizza or a kebab in town. Lidl used have a box of like 15 of them for like a euro something so I'd lob the whole lot of them on. Guaranteed the ride too as what drunken woman doesn't like a man with fish fingers.

branie2

I love them!

Rumpy Pumpy

I used to like fishfingers as a kid. Tried them a few years ago and they were awful. Make my own the odd time these days. Couple of fish fingers in between two slices of batch, with tartare sauce. Lovely.

Atoms for Peace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI-4f--Hlrs

Burial.

Rumpy Pumpy wrote: »

I used to like fishfingers as a kid. Tried them a few years ago and they were awful. Make my own the odd time these days. Couple of fish fingers in between two slices of batch, with tartare sauce. Lovely.

Let the fools have their tartar sauce!

branie2

They go great with chips

Your Face

Tesco chunky fish-fingers are tasty.

Junkyard Tom

I doobedoesbe enjoying the odd Fish Finger sandwich with a bit of Heinz tomato ketchup.

beauf

Make sure they are cod. A lot of them aren't.

andekwarhola

They're in that Crispy Pancakes and Pot Noodle category: childhood novelty food for which you pestered your mother (to her horror) but nowadays tastes likes snot wrapped in sticking plasters.

beauf

andekwarhola wrote: »

They're in that Crispy Pancakes and Pot Noodle category: childhood novelty food for which you pestered your mother (to her horror) but nowadays tastes likes snot wrapped in sticking plasters.

Its not the same anymore. Its a different fish and different portion size.

You can still get decent ones but they are expensive.

4068ac1elhodqr

Brown sauce for the fish's fingers, none of that other stuff.

Also make sure the fish boxes are stamped with the 'MSC/FSC logo' they work with partners to encourage sustainable fishing practices.
On the last count there was only about 160 freely available cod in the whole Atlantic ocean, give them chance to party and breed.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

I thought this was going to be rude

Are Am Eye

Zaniyah Tinkling Embryo wrote: »

On the last count there was only about 160 freely available cod in the whole Atlantic ocean

How did they know they didn't count the same one twice?
There might have been only seven. Just swimming around a lot.

Outlaw Pete

Used to eat them as a kid but haven't in years as can't eat the old Gluten these days but M&S do a GF range and I eat them and they're the bee's knees.

Got destroyed by the whole Donegal Catch and frozen breaded fillet market. It's still frozen food, but it just felt a little bit more like fish and felt a little more...wholesome.

Had forgotten them as a food choice for years, until we had a kid, had forgotten that they're not bad.

Eggonyerface

Pat Mustard wrote: »

'Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough, to get it ready for the plough. The cabbages are coming now, the earth exhales-' He's the only cabbage round here. And they made him a night of the realm. Overrated.

jester77

Must make your own. It's the easiest thing to do, buy some fresh fish, cut it into shape, thrown together a nice batter to suit your taste, dip and into the oven.

My kids love helping to make them and they taste better than any frozen ones you can buy.

suicide_circus

In terms of crap kids food, fish fingers are probably the best.

whisky_galore

Breaded...since when was bread bright orange in colour?

Poor Uncle Tom

The fish ran out of fingers in 1997 so it's just fish toes now, you don't want to know what the purple bits are......

Pat Mustard

Eggonyerface wrote: »

'Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough, to get it ready for the plough. The cabbages are coming now, the earth exhales-' He's the only cabbage round here. And they made him a night of the realm. Overrated.

I had thought that you meant that they made Ricky Gervais a knight of the realm. I get you now! Odd poem though.

xzanti

The battered ones my Mam made us as kids were gorgeous.

I make them for my son but they just don't taste the same. They seem tiny and tasteless

pickarooney

They're nice if you use fish that actually has some taste.

WoollyRedHat

I think that the time is ripe for someone to come in and reinvigorate the fish finger market. Bring them back with some fancy flavours. Give it a catchy name like 'Goldfinger'. Bada bing bada bong, get rich fish.

MonkieSocks

Enter to win a cuddly toy "Capt'in Birdseye


https://www.winacaptain.co.uk/enter

Noveight

Fish fingers saw me through much of college. In Lidl I could buy 2 tins of beans for 68c and 15 fish fingers for €1.30.

Two dinners for less than €2, get in!

branie2

I had fish fingers for dinner on Saturday

Flippyfloppy

xzanti wrote: »

The battered ones my Mam made us as kids were gorgeous.

I make them for my son but they just don't taste the same. They seem tiny and tasteless

Might need mustard powder!

Squatter

Ahem.



That is all.

Oranage2

Loved them as a kid, had them recently and they tasted terrible. I'm sure the changed the recipe, it went from fluffy breading and flaky fish to tasteless breading and some square processed tasting fish.

ToddyDoody

It's the one thing I've never seen on a restaurant menu for adults. Which is a pity as my dad likes them.

Poor Uncle Tom

ToddyDoody wrote: »

It's the one thing I've never seen on a restaurant menu for adults. Which is a pity as my dad likes them.

:rolleyes:..... there's no need to go to a restaurant for fish fingers, you can have them at home you know..

worded

The fish shop on dunlaoghaire pier has huge home made ones, they are the bizz.
Nicest I've ever tasted

http://www.thequayfishshop.ie