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26 Feb 2024

Best fish fingers: the supermarkets that beat Birds Eye

Our consumer panel blind-tasted supermarket fish fingers against Birds Eye to uncover the tastiest options

Jane Darling

The best fish fingers are worth paying a little extra for, and the tastiest options are still cheaper than Birds Eye.

We asked 68 people to blind-taste and rate frozen breaded cod fish fingers from nine different supermarkets as well as Birds Eye.

We’ve uncovered two tasty Best Buys, but also a surprise low scorer.

Read on to find out which fish fingers to fill your freezer with, and the mushy, disappointing ones to avoid.

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Best fish fingers

M&S took the top spot in our taste test, while Waitrose came a close second. They aren't the cheapest, but they'll leave you satisfied at dinnertime.

Budget fish fingers from Asda and Morrisons also impressed, so are a good choice if you want the best value option.

Best Buy: M&S Breaded Jumbo Cod Fish Fingers Frozen – 78%

£4.75 for 440g (£1.08 per 100g)

These were our tasters' favourite, scoring well across the board on appearance, aroma, texture and flavour.

The crispiness of the breadcrumb coating and the ratio between fish and crispy outer layer were all deemed perfect by the majority of our panel.

Most also thought the fish filling and overall flavour hit the spot.

M&S fish fingers are bigger and chunkier than a standard fish finger, so you'll need fewer per person. And while they’re also pricier than most, they’re still a good deal cheaper than Birds Eye by weight.

Available from M&S (in-store only) and Ocado.

Best Buy: Waitrose Frozen Breaded Cod Fingers – 76%

£3.80 for 330g (£1.16 per 100g)

Waitrose's tasty fish fingers match M&S on everything except appearance.

The texture of the fish and the breadcrumb coating were loved by three quarters of our tasters, as was the flavour.

Most of our panel said the ratio of fish to breadcrumbs was just right, too.

The only thing some tasters rated lower was the colour of the breadcrumb coating, which around a third thought was a little pale.

Available from Waitrose.

Asda Flaky Cod Fish Fingers – 72%

£2.20 for 300g (73p per 100g)

Although they weren’t rated quite as highly as our Best Buys, Asda’s fish fingers came a respectable third overall.

Most tasters thought they smelled good, and that the balance between the amount of fish filling and coating was about right.

More than two thirds rated the texture of the fish highly and most said the strength of flavour was about right, though a third wanted a stronger taste.

Asda’s fish fingers lost marks when it came to crispiness – around two thirds of our panel wanted a crunchier bite.

Available from Asda.

Morrisons Cod Fish Fingers – 71%

£2.20 for 300g (73p per 100g)

Morrisons fish fingers were also well-liked.

Most found the smell enticing and more than two thirds loved the texture of the fish, rating the ratio between fish and coating as just right.

Nearly two thirds liked the strength of flavour, though some wanted a stronger taste.

As with Asda’s fingers, the main criticism from our panel was a lack of crispiness. Half felt the coating was on the soft side.

Available from Morrisons.

Find out what our taste testers thought of other freezer favourites, including roast potatoes, pepperoni pizza and vegan burgers

How do Birds Eye, Iceland, Tesco and other supermarket fish fingers compare?

Aldi, Lidl and Birds Eye were the next best options, coming in just under 70% overall.

Aldi and Lidl are both substantially cheaper than average. If you're a fan of Birds Eye look out for deals, as they're often on special offer - such as three packs for £10.

The fish fingers from frozen food specialist Iceland were the least liked by a good margin.

Aldi The Fishmonger Breaded Cod Fish Fingers – 69%. Smelled appetising, and more than two thirds enjoyed the flavour. But they lacked crispiness and were a little pale. £1.65 for 300g (55p per 100g). Available from Aldi.
Birds Eye Cod Fish Fingers – 69%. Smelled and looked good, with most tasters approving of the ratio of fish to coating. However, more than half said the flavour was too weak and over a third wanted a crunchier bite. £4 for 280g (£1.43 per 100g). Available from Aldi, Amazon, Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.
Lidl Ocean Sea MSC Cod Fish Fingers – 69%. The colour of the breadcrumb coating and the fish, as well as the relative amounts of each, were reasonably liked. But texture and flavour fell short, with marks lost for 'mushy' fish. £1.65 per 300g (55p per 100g). Available from Lidl (in-store only).
Tesco Cod Fish Fingers – 68%. Tasters thought these fish fingers looked and smelled good and had the right balance of fish filling and outer crumbs. But 43% of our panel wanted them to be crisper and more strongly flavoured. £2.20 for 300g (73p per 100g). Available from Tesco.
Sainsbury’s Breaded Cod Fillet Fish Fingers – 67%. Two thirds of our panel felt they should be crispier, while over a third wanted a more robust flavour and a firmer texture. £1.65 for 300g (55p per 100g). Available from Sainsbury’s.
Iceland Breaded Cod Fillet Fish Fingers – 58%. Disappointing. Nearly three quarters wanted a stronger flavour. Texture was another low point: 63% said the coating wasn’t crisp enough while 47% found the fish too mushy. £6 for 900g (67p per 100g. Available from Iceland.

Got a crowd to feed? Most of the fish fingers on test come in packs of 10, apart from M&S and Waitrose (six in a pack) and Iceland (30 in a pack). However, serving sizes may differ as some are much smaller than others.

Are fish fingers healthy?

The fish fingers we tested generally consisted of around two thirds cod. While this white fish is not as high in health-giving omega-3s as oily fish, it’s still a good source of lean protein and is also low in fat.

A portion of fish fingers counts towards the government-recommended two portions of fish per week.

Although fish fingers come under the banner of ultra-processed food (UPF), not all UPFs are created equal, and fish fingers can be part of a healthy diet. Those with higher fish-to-bread ratios make a good choice.

Ultra-processed foods explained - we look at the facts behind the headlines

Is the fish in fish fingers sustainable?

Most of the fish fingers we tested were certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

This scheme is designed to guarantee that fish comes from sustainable fisheries, where fish stocks are well-managed and the impact of fishing on other species and the ecosystem is minimised.

The brands that don’t show the MSC logo are Asda, M&S and Morrisons.

Asda states that its cod is caught in the North East Atlantic Ocean, and that it has been working with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership since 2012.

M&S says its wild cod is responsibly sourced from North East and North West Atlantic waters and uses its own ‘Forever Fish’ logo and works with the MSC among others on its policies.

Morrisons also states that its cod was caught in the North East Atlantic.

For more information on the sustainability issues around the fish we regularly eat, head to our guide to buying sustainable fish.

Can you air fry fish fingers?

Fish fingers can be grilled, oven cooked, fried – or air fried. In the oven, from frozen, they typically take 16-25 minutes, depending on how chunky they are (check individual pack instructions).

If you have the oven on for something else, it makes sense to pop the fish fingers in there if it’s at the right temperature.

But if you’re one of the third of UK households who own an air fryer, then you could also pop them in there, along with some chips, and it's likely to be cheaper, depending on how many portions you need to cook.

Find out more in our guide to: Airfryers vs ovens: which is really cheaper?

How we tested fish fingers

The fish fingers were tested in January 2024 by a large panel of consumers who regularly buy and consume fish fingers. The make-up of the panel broadly represents the demographic profile of adults in the UK.

Each brand of fish finger was assessed by 68 people. The tasters rated the taste, texture, aroma and appearance of each and told us what they liked and disliked about each one.

The taste test was blind, so our testers didn’t know which brand they were trying. The order in which they tasted the fish fingers was fully rotated to avoid any bias. Each person had a private booth, so they couldn’t discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others.

The overall score was based on: