Assembly Line

How fish sticks are made

Fish sticks are sawn from frozen blocks of fish that come in one standard size.

stations
6
things upstream
69
raw sources
20
steps from the ground
10

The short version

Whitefish such as cod, hake, haddock or pollock is formed into standard frozen blocks. The blocks are sliced into rectangular sticks, coated in batter or breadcrumbs and frozen again. The sticks are bagged and boxed for the freezer aisle, then baked, grilled or fried at home.

  1. Freeze fish into blocks

    Fish pieces, often minced cod or pollock in big plants, are frozen into a large standard block. A 1952 General Foods patent describes this as the starting point, and factories still work the same way.

    7.5 kg blocks

    Goes in
    Whitefish

  2. Saw into sticks

    Saws cut each block down to consumer-size rectangles while the fish is still frozen hard, which keeps the shape consistent.

  3. Dip in batter

    The frozen sticks are seasoned and run through a batter, which gives the crumbs something to grab.

    Goes in
    FlourWater

  4. Coat with crumbs

    A layer of breading sticks to the wet batter and gives the crust its even look.

    Goes in
    Bread

  5. Fry to set the crust

    The coated sticks go through a fryer that cooks them at least partly and fixes the coating, with the fish staying frozen inside.

    Goes in
    Vegetable oil

  6. Refreeze and pack

    The fried sticks are frozen again and packed in bags and boxes for the freezer aisle.

    Goes in
    Cardboard box
End of the lineFish sticks

Worth repeating

  • The commercial fish stick was released under the Birds Eye label in 1953.
  • Birds Eye test-marketed herring fish fingers in Britain, but shoppers overwhelmingly preferred cod.
  • The snack was nearly called Battered Cod Pieces until a poll of Birds Eye workers chose Fish Fingers.

Back to the ground

Follow every input upstream and fish sticks starts as these 20 raw sources.

WhitefishWaterWheatSoybeansRapeseedClayAirRock saltSeawaterCrude oilCornNatural gasSugarcaneSugar beetTimberTitanium oreIron oreSulfurLimestoneCoal

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Canned meat 9 stations · 23 raw sources Blender 7 stations · 30 raw sources Fertilizer 7 stations · 10 raw sources Jelly beans 6 stations · 7 raw sources Hook-and-loop fastener 5 stations · 5 raw sources Chess set 9 stations · 13 raw sources

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Sources

Cite this page: "How fish sticks are made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/fish-sticks

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