FISHWICHES

When I was younger, my Mom, my sister Linda and I went on a lot of vacations with my sister Frankie and her husband.  We hit almost every state and the thing I most enjoyed was trying the local eateries.  There were chains (Sambos and Nickerson Farms) and they were GREAT.  But sometimes the small local family-owned diners were the best.  And this was the case in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, where we stumbled onto a place with fantastic fish sandwiches they called Fishwiches.  Since then, I call every seafood sandwich I love a Fishwich!  Today I’m sharing four of my very favorites.  For a sandwich, it’s always best to go with a firm white fish, and these four certainly fit the bill.  Growing up in the period of pre-Vatican II, even non-parochial schools kept the tradition of “Fish on Friday:”  And thanks to the recipes I’m sharing today, EVERY day can be FRY-day!

The first is a Halibut.  Beautiful white fish that is almost like eating a steak sandwich.  When McDonald’s was young and before they came up with the fish fillet, their fish sandwiches were two round pieces of Halibut and they were the best things I ever put in my mouth!  My Dad took us there every Friday for dinner and we took them to a little picnic area called Gilligan Park.  One of the best memories of my childhood!  But there’s almost no Halibut in the Atlantic Ocean.  We fished them out.  And today, Halibut is a delicacy caught in the Pacific waters off the coast of Alaska.  More expensive than it used to be, but still a favorite of mine.

The second is a luscious fried Haddock sandwich.  We got some of the best Haddock ever on a vacation through New England and Canada.  The fish was always bigger than the bun and almost bigger than the plate!

Next up is a Cod sandwich.  Cod is a base-like fish that is wonderful to eat  a sandwich or a batter-fried dinner.  A lot of the fish served at Lenten Fish Fries are done with Cod.

Being a Florida girl, I couldn’t leave out our native Grouper.  It’s a flaky white fish native to the Gulf of Mexico.  It’s available at just about any seafood shack in our state and (at least to me) it’s always best when deep-fried. 

HALIBUT SANDWICHES

2 lbs. Halibut fillets 
1 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 c. warm water
1 T. melted fat

Cut halibut into sandwich-size pieces. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in bowl. Drop egg into center. Add water and fat; mix well. Dry fish; dip into batter. Heat shortening; fry. Drain on paper towels. Serve on bun with lots of tartar sauce. 

 COD SANDWICH

2 cups Bread flour

1 large fillet of cod, 

       cut into 3 inch rolls

Salt and Fresh ground pepper

5 cups Canola oil

1 sturdy sandwich roll, sliced

1 cup of lettuce, thinly sliced

Your favorite tartar sauc

3 slices of cheddar cheese

Rinse the fillets and pat dry. In a large bowl, add roughly one cup of bread flour, or all purpose flour, and to that add one 12 oz. can of beer and stir to make a thick batter. If you want a thicker batter, add more flour. Add in a generous pinch of salt and pepper to season. This is where it gets a bit messy, so before diving in, heat a medium-sized pot with roughly four cups of oil and bring to a medium to high heat. You want the oil to reach about 375 degrees in temperature. In a separate bowl, add more flour & season with more salt and pepper. Now it is time to get messy.

Take your dry fillet, one at a time, and place it in the batter. Carefully remove the fillet from the batter, letting any excess batter drip back into the bowl, and then place the fillet into the the bowl of seasoned flour, tossing to coat with the flour. Repeat with a  couple of more fillets. When your oil is ready, add your fillet into the hot oil and cook until golden brown. Don’t overcrowd.

When they are golden brown, remove to a strainer lined with paper towel, season with salt, and let cool. These will be piping hot.

Now to serve as a fish fillet sandwich, take your sliced bun and add a generous amount of tartar sauce to the bottom bun. Top that with the sliced lettuce. Add on your fish fillet and top the fish with the cheese. Place on the top bun.

FRIED HADDOCK SANDWICH

2 skinless fillets fresh Haddock

         cut into thirds

1 cup flour

1  teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2-1/2 cups Italian breadcrumbs

2 large eggs

1/4 cup whole milk

4 cups Oil

3 soft rolls/buns

1 head Boston bibb lettuce

9 slices  tomato

Tartar Sauce

Whisk egg and milk together in glass pie plate; reserve egg bath.

Mound flour on clean work surface; season with salt and pepper; mix well.   Mound breadcrumbs in separate pile on clean work surface.

Dredge each cut of fish in seasoned flour.  .

Working with one piece of fish at a time dip fish in egg bath coding all sides; then immediately into breadcrumbs; coat all sides; repeat with remaining pieces of fish

Heat oil in large frying pan over high heat setting; working in small batches of 3-5 fillets and using kitchen tongs place breaded fillets into hot oil; fry 2-3 minutes per side until golden and crisp; cool on wire rack lined cookie sheet.

Assemble sandwiches:   Spread 1 tablespoon tartar sauce onto each bun half; arrange 1 lettuce leaf onto each half.   Place 2 pieces fish onto each  bottom half top with 3 tomato slices and 1 teaspoon tartar sauce; fix top halves onto prepared bottoms; serve with French fries or potato chips.

FRIED GROUPER SANDWICH

1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon hot-pepper flakes
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 teaspoon corn oil
4 grouper fillets (about 5 oz. each)
4 hamburger buns, toasted or grilled
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
tartar sauce and coleslaw, to taste

Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow bowl. Put egg whites in another shallow bowl. Dip each fish fillet in cornmeal mixture, then in egg whites, then again in cornmeal mixturPlace fillets on a plate; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add fillets and cook over medium-high heat, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

On the bottom half of each toasted or grilled bun, spread tartar sauce to taste and top with one fillet. Divide the iceberg lettuce evenly between the four sandwiches, and top with coleslaw if desired. Place top of bun onto lettuce and slaw and serve.   Makes 4 sandwiches.