Fischstäbchen

fish finger

noun FISH-shteb-khen Rare

Usage Note

Fischstäbchen are breaded, fried finger-shaped pieces of white fish, a children's favourite and a nostalgic staple of German family meals. Served with mashed potatoes (Kartoffelpüree) and peas. A cultural reference point as well as a food.

Examples

"Fischstäbchen mit Kartoffelpüree und grünen Erbsen ist ein typisches Kindermittagessen."

Natural Translation

Fish fingers with mashed potatoes and green peas is a typical children's lunch.

Literal Translation

Fish-fingers with potato-puree and green peas is a typical children's-lunch.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Colors: Names, Shades, and Idioms

German colors are adjectives that take endings — say das rote Auto, not das rot Auto. Get the names, shades, the das-Rot rule, and 14 color idioms.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German False Friends: 25 Words That Trick You

German false friends like Gift (poison) and bekommen (to receive) trick English speakers daily. Here are 25 words that mean the opposite of what you'd guess.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

GermanNow

German Days, Months & Seasons (am, im & -tag)

Days of the week in German use am, months and seasons use im — plus the -tag pattern, capitalized nouns, and how to build a real sentence with a day.

June 5, 2026 4 min read

GermanNow

German Umlauts & ß: Sounds and Typing

Pronounce ä, ö, ü with the front-tongue, rounded-lips rule, master the ß vs ss spelling, and type every German umlaut on Mac, Windows, and phone.

June 5, 2026 6 min read