When you were a child, you ate fish sticks. But now you are a grown-up. So you eat frozen fish fillets. But what are the best frozen fish fillets? Over the course of two taste tests, we try many, many brands with our own grown-up mouths to determine the best frozen fish fillets for your grown-up mouth.
How we prepared the frozen fish fillets
I cooked all of these frozen fish fillets in an oven. In our first taste test, I cooked them in our countertop oven. In our second taste test, I cooked them in a real, big boy oven. While they might be better in an air fryer, not everyone has an air fryer. I wanted to test these frozen breaded fish fillets and frozen battered fish fillets in an oven, knowing that the best of the bunch would probably be even better in an air fryer.
What we looked for in the best frozen fish fillets
Let’s start with the bare minimum: The best frozen fish fillets shouldn’t taste like a sponge. And they shouldn’t taste like fish food. They should taste like fish. Good, clean, flaky, fresh fish—that happens to be coated in something crispy and delicious.
In our taste tests, we tried battered frozen fish fillets, breaded frozen fish fillets, and even frozen fish fillets coated in crispy tortilla crumbs. No matter the coating, we looked for fillets that got nice and crisp in the oven—no air fryer necessary.
What’s new in this updated ranking of frozen fish fillets
In our initial taste test, Gorton’s ran the table. But in our most recent taste test, we found a few new brands that didn’t just stand up to Gorton’s, but surpassed the frozen fish fillet forefather. The new entries include a brand of gluten free frozen fish fillets, some fascinatingly seasoned Costco frozen fish fillets, and even a new number one that happens to be a generic store brand.
Here are the best frozen fish fillets to fill your freezer.
Best frozen fish fillets, ranked
- Kirkland Everything Seasoning Breaded Cod
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These Costco frozen fish fillets are not your everyday frozen fish fillets. They’re the best fish fillets if you really need to shake up your family dinner. (A much easier option than doing something like dining in the dark or DIY dinner theater.) The seasoning is onion heavy, but it really does taste like everything seasoning was just knocked off a bagel and onto some fish. The breading is on the thicker side, but the fish itself is thick, too, so it ends up pretty balanced. I’d toss these onto a rice bowl with some sliced cukes or really go for it by using these in a sandwich and smearing the bread with some cream cheese.
Credit: Liv Averett / Costco
- Gorton’s Crispy Battered
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These are the best frozen fish fillets for a homemade Filet-O-Fish. The fish is really savory and coated in a crispy battered crust that stays put. Put one on a bun slathered with tartar sauce, top it with some American cheese and pickle slices, and take a bite. It’s a frozen fish fillet you’ll keep coming back to if you’re a fish sandwich fanatic.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Sea Cuisine Tortilla Crusted Tilapia
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We’re pretty big fans of Sea Cuisine. We really like their non-battered-or-breaded, seasoned frozen fish fillets, so I had high hopes for these frozen tilapia fillets. And my hopes were met. While these frozen fish fillets didn’t get quite as crispy as I would have liked in the oven, the flavor of the tortilla crust is delicious. There’s a hint of lime and a lot of savory seasoning, with a touch of spice on the finish. And the fish itself is firm and meaty. Use these in a burrito bowl-style meal and you’ll feel like you’re dining in a totally solid, slightly higher end Tex-Mex restaurant. Don’t forget the Margaritas.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Trader Joe’s Breaded Cod
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Trader Joe’s frozen breaded fish fillets take the crown for best frozen breaded fish fillets. The sizable fillets are coated in a textured mix of seasoned breadcrumbs and the fish itself is still flaky—not spongy at all. I’d serve this for a weeknight dinner next to some mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli, with a little dollop of tartar sauce on the side.
Credit: Liv Averett
- Orca Bay Foods Gluten Free Fish Fillets
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As a gluten-eater, I admit, I never considered frozen fish fillets as being something gluten free folks might be missing out on. (I apologize for my privileged POV.) But I’m glad to announce that now they don’t have to. Because these gluten free frozen fish fillets are so delectably crispy. Made with mild Alaskan pollack (no fishy flavor here!), they’re coated with an airy batter that tastes freshly fried even when baked. These frozen fish fillets channel fish and chip shop fried fish. Douse them in malt vinegar to give them some flavor and enjoy the best gluten free fish fillets there ever could be.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Gorton’s Beer Battered Crispy Fish Fillets
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Have you ever had beer battered fish that actually tasted like beer? I hadn’t until I tried these frozen fish fillets. And I loved it. The battered crust is the hero here—even though it did flake away more than many of the other fillets on this list. These are the best frozen battered fish fillets for a classic fish and chips dinner. Shake some frozen french fries around the fillets, bake, and serve with malt vinegar and a pint of your best bitter (or your best IPA if you’re not into British-style brews).
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Gorton’s Potato Crunchy Breaded Fish Fillets
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The beer battered fillets might be the best frozen fish fillets for fish and chips, but these potato-coated pollock fillets are like fish and chips in one bite. The crust is extremely potato-y and very crunchy. This is a new category of fried fish that I haven’t had before. And it satisfies the quality of being something I would not attempt to make from scratch at home. It’s a dinnertime innovation and it’s ready for your enjoyment in just 20 minutes.
Credit: Liv Averett / Vons
- Great Value Crispy Battered Fish Fillets
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Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new number one best frozen fish fillets brand—and it’s a generic store brand at that. Walmart’s Great Value Crispy Battered Fish Fillets are perfectly crisp and light. They aren’t greasy. They have a good, clean cod flavor. And the size is perfect—they’re somewhere between a fish stick and a full fillet—so you can use them for fried fish sandwiches or throw a few on a plate as a main protein. Keep a bag in your freezer and open in case of dinner emergency.
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
Best Newfangled Seasoning
Best for Fish Sandwiches
Best Seasoned
Best Breaded
Best Gluten Free
Best Beer Battered
Best Potato Breaded
Best of the Best
Other frozen fish fillets we tried:
Van de Kamp’s Crispy Battered Fillets, Gorton’s Parmesan Crusted Fish Fillets, Gorton’s Crunchy Breaded, Trader Joe’s Battered Halibut, Aqua Star Alaskan Cod Crispy Breaded, Aqua Star Golden Panko Crunchy Breaded Cod, Gorton’s Air Fried Fish Fillets Light & Crispy Breading, Gorton’s Air Fried Garlic & Herb
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