Before deep- or pan-frying fish, it’s important to remove most of the moisture, especially when using frozen. Once thawed—and last night I learned it takes a full day to fridge-thaw in my kitchen—, I press it between my palms to squeeze out the water and finish drying with paper towels. It’s obvious if you’re an experienced cook and a huge pitfall if you aren’t, because excessive moisture guarantees disaster: the fish will fall apart, it won’t brown properly, you’ll be spattered by hot oil, etc.
It’s not important, but I thought I’d mention that the bread I use is actually a kind of faux-ciabatta sold in little square loaves the size of big hamburger buns. So, they’re mostly crust and a little more tender than real ciabatta. I use this bread several ways, always toasted, and one of my favorites is another kind of fish sandwich that’s just canned sardines (always in olive oil) with a big slice of raw onion. I know it sounds overpowering, with unimaginable consequences the next day, etc. I was hesitant, but the idea appealed to me in an oddly succinct way as I sat chewing my last few onionless versions, so I tried it and have been enjoying it very much, so far. The only downside is they’re a little high in calories and cholesterol, but they make an excellent, quick-and-easy meal once a week, especially now, with the summer heat. I’ve been trying to eat more fish lately (hence this thread) and I have to say that the sardine sandwiches make me feel good afterward.
I’ve seen the mayo-based breading in a few recipes in recent years, same for air fryers, and I look forward to trying both.
ParallelLines mentioned hot sauce: yeah, that’s something I’ll soon be adding to the fish-cake sandwiches.
I like beer-battered halibut for fish tacos (and for fried fish in general), but if I’m feeling lazy I’ll just use frozen Van De Kamp filets (which I think are pollock or some other variety of cheap whitefish). I can go with corn or flour tortillas depending on the mood I’m in, but in either event I usually top them with fresh guacamole, homemade pico de gallo, and a sprinkle of grated sharp cheddar. I also go back and forth on whether to use cabbage or not - if I do, I toss it with some Hidden Valley coleslaw dressing, and if I don’t, I drizzle some crema over the assembled taco instead.
In most people, dietary cholesterol is not an issue with cholesterol levels in your blood.The Omega-3s in sardines are actually supposed to help in lowering the bad cholesterol in your blood.
See, for example, WebMd:
Fatty fish is my general go-to snack here, and I eat a tin (with no bread or minimal starch accompaniment) about 4 times a week, though I eat them straight out of the can, usually in spicy tomato sauce (mackerel, herring, sprats, sardines.)
Speaking of sardines and sandwiches, one of my favorite Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches is the sardine one.
Hi pulykamell, was hoping you’d post here. Yes, I know about good and bad cholesterol. I thought I’d read from a reliable source that sardines have a bit much of the bad stuff (or something like that), but I can’t seem to find that information now. I must have misread something like what you posted, or maybe I didn’t look carefully enough at the source.