Nashville Hot Fish Fingers

An easy recipe for baked or air-fried fish fingers prepared the ‘Nashville Hot’ way, slathered in a spicy sauce then served with pickles and bread.

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I’ve been itching to make a ‘Nashville Hot’ recipe since I first learned it was even a thing. I even considered a weekend road trip to Nashville to check it out first-hand at the source, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken restaurant in Nashville, TN.

Nashville Hot Chicken is simply fried chicken that’s basted with a hot “sauce” then served with pickles and bread. I put quotes around “sauce” because, well, by definition, I don’t know that I’d call it that, but there’s really not a better word to use. The sauce (ok, I’ll lose the quotes) is sizzling hot frying oil (like, that you literally just fried the chicken in) mixed with copious amounts of cayenne pepper and other spices.

Since this is something I’ve been wanting to try for a while, when I strolled by these gorgeous cod fillet fingers at Sam’s Club this weekend, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to do with them… make Nashville Hot Fish Fingers!

I’d never tried fish "fingers" before but I was excited to try it after I read the box. My family LOVES fish sticks. And I ain’t even shame! Fish sticks are a regular feature at my weeknight supper table. Trial and error has taught me to look for the word “fillet” when buying frozen fried fish because that means I’m not getting formed minced fish logs, but actual cuts of whole fish fillets which are a bazillion times better.

When I read the box and saw my keyword, “fillet”, I was pumped but when I saw they were called fish fingers instead of fish sticks I stood right in the frozen section and fist-bumped the air (followed by the waggling exploding fingers which made Brutus and AB walk away from me in horror and hide behind the debbie cakes) 👊👊

OK, so, I knew what I wanted to make but I wasn’t sure how to make the sauce so I used Hattie B’s recipe as featured on Serious Eats (again, THE BEST website for recipe research). Since I didn’t have a clue what this was supposed to taste like, I made the sauce exactly as it was posted.

And then I ‘bout damn died when I tried it.

Lord, have mercy, that’s some HOT stuff! And I love spicy food! I thought 3 tablespoons sounded like an UNHOLY amount of cayenne but when I’m trying something for the first time, I don’t change the recipe (especially not when I get it from Serious Eats).

Well, Hattie B and Serious Eats will have to eat that on their own time because it was WAY TOO HOT for me and mine. I redid the sauce per my own tastes and created something I thought was perfect (and edible!).

HATTIE B'S NASHVILLE HOT SAUCE RECIPE

For reference, here’s the original recipe I followed:

• 1/2 cup hot frying oil 
• 3 tablespoons cayenne pepper 
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Here’s my version of Nashville Hot Fish Fingers! Serve with pickles and white bread. I actually had mine with a bowl of grits because, well, dang it, I’m country.

Raise your hand if you're as countryfied as I am and you know an old timer or two who likes a little "fish grease" in their fish and grits 🙌

I will absolutely be making these again! I’ll make them for supper again for sure, but I think I also see them making a debut the next time we have people over to watch a big game or maybe even on poker night!

Husband and AB ate theirs by making a little Po' Boy by wrapping a fish finger in a piece of white bread. Both confirmed they would love to have these again for supper SOON!

Recipe for Nashville Hot Fish Fingers

Nashville Hot Fish Fingers

Yield: 6

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 30 Min

An easy recipe for baked or air-fried fish fingers prepared the ‘Nashville Hot’ way, slathered in a spicy sauce then served with pickles and bread.

Ingredients

Fish Fingers:

• 2 lbs frozen breaded fish fingers
• Cooking spray

Nashville Hot Sauce:

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

Fish Fingers:

1. Preheat oven per manufacturer's instructions.
2. Arrange fish fingers on a baking sheet then spray liberally with cooking spray (to make them crispier).
3. Cook fish per instructions. Use convection mode on oven to mimic air-frier if baking.
4. When the fish fingers are done, baste the Nashville Hot Sauce over fingers with a basting brush.
5. Serve with pickles and white bread.

Nashville Hot Sauce:

1. Melt butter and oil in a small sauce pan over low heat. Add cayenne pepper and remaining ingredients then simmer until ready to use.
2. Just before basting, turn heat up so the sauce is bubbling hot when you baste the fish fingers with it. Don't let the mixture cook too hot too long or the butter will burn.

Notes

• Use any breaded frozen large or jumbo fish sticks, fish "planks" or even cod fillets.
• I imagine this would be awesome with unbreaded fish too!
• Obviously, this would be amazing with fresh fried fish instead of frozen.

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2018/04/nashville-hot-fish-fingers.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2018

nashville, hot, hatti B, fish, air-frier, air-fried, baked, fish sticks, fish, fingers, cod, fillets, how to, best,

dinner, snack

american, southern

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