To understand the effect of the interaction between wheat starch (
W
S
) and wheat gluten (
W
G
) on batter characteristics and oil penetration of deep-fried breaded fish nuggets, batters were prepared using a
W
S
and
W
G
blend at the ratios of 15 : 1, 13 : 1, 11 : 1, 9 : 1, and 7 : 1
w
/
w
, respectively, and batter-breaded fish nuggets (BBFNs) were fried at 170°C for 40 s followed by 190°C for 30 s. Moisture adsorption isotherms of
W
S
and
W
G
, viscosity, rheological behavior, and calorimetric properties of the batters were measured, and pick-up of BBFNs, thermogravimetric properties of the crust, and oil transport were investigated. The moisture absorption capacity of
W
G
was higher than
W
S
at a low water activity (0.04–0.65), while the opposite trend was observed at a highwater activity (0.65–0.88). As the proportion of
W
S
decreased, the viscosity,
G
”
and tan δ of batter, pick-up of BBFNs, temperature and enthalpy change (ΔH) of protein denaturation and
W
S
gelatinization, and oil penetration of BBFNs during deep-fat frying, which are decreased until reaching a minimum value at the ratio of 11 : 1
w
/
w
, then increased (
p
<
0.05
). However, G' of batter and thermogravimetry temperatures of crust exhibited the opposite trend. These results proved that the
W
S
–
W
G
interaction significantly affected the batter characteristics and oil penetration of BBFNs during deep-fat frying, which can be used to guide the manufacturing of low-fat fried BBFNs.