Fish Sandwiches....

I have been craving seafood, Cajun food and po' boys for a couple months now. However due to our limited budget we can't afford all that amazing stuff. So I came up with an alternative, "Blackened" fish sandwiches. We found Swai on sale at the local grocery store and decided to give it a go. Swai is a fancy name for Pangasius catfish, it is basically a really bland flaky white fish. I like it better than tilapia, which I don't really like at all. I don't like it as much as other fish, though. If it were in the budget I would make this same sandwich out of Mahi Mahi, cod, snapper, halibut, or grouper, pretty much anything but Swai or tilapia. So basically buy one of those if you can afford it, but I used Swai. You gotta use what you have, whether you prefer it or not.

Our local Hong Kong market sells some amazing fresh baked sandwich sized French breads. They make their Bahn Mi sandwiches with these delicious rolls and they sell them, 3 for $1.00. These are the perfect bread for French dips, meatball sandwiches, PO BOYS, and even everyday turkey sandwiches. It is a bit of a drive to get them but it is worth it. I toasted these breads up with a little butter until they were brown and crispy. Man they were so good!

 I decided to make a little Asian slaw to dress the sandwich. I started with rice vinegar, Sriracha hot sauce, olive oil and a little honey for the dressing.

 I used an angel hair, prepackaged slaw (because I got it free with a coupon) then dressed it with my dressing a couple hours ahead of time so it would wilt down and be nice and cold.

 I was out of my homemade Cajun seasoning and the ingredients to make it, so I seasoned three fillets with Old Bay seasoning and munchkin's fillet with just salt and pepper. He does not like anything spicy or even heavily seasoned, so he gets the lightest sprinkling of pepper and a good amount of salt. If you want my Cajun seasoning recipe go here: http://homeschoolin-chef.blogspot.com/2013/11/cajun-fried-turkey.html I let the fish set for a few minutes with the seasoning on it while I toasted the bread.

 For Christmas I received an electric skillet and it is awesome!! I used it to toast the lightly buttered breads and then removed them to a plate and I cooked the fish fillets on it too, until the were thoroughly cooked, about 3-5 minutes per side.

 I dressed the bread with the slaw and the fish fillets, then a little extra hot sauce to my liking. Munchkin has mayo and spinach on his toasted bun. These would be amazing with fresh cilantro, red onions and slice of perfectly ripe tomato. We, of course, were out of all these things, but if I were to go out and buy this meal specifically I would definitely insist on these three additions.(I would also insist on a better final picture, I always forget the final picture and rush to take it before all the food disappears) Oh and of course, serve it with a wedge or two of lemon.

Fish Sandwich

4 French Rolls or sub rolls
2 Tbsp butter, for the bread

4 fillets fish, white fish of choice (preferably Mahi Mahi, Cod, Halibut, or snapper)
Old Bay or Cajun Seasoning
Cilantro, red onions and tomatoes (optional for dressing the sandwich)
1 lemon cut into wedges, for garnish

Slaw
 1-10 oz package angel hair shredded cabbage
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Sriracha Hot Sauce
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and toss with cabbage. Let refrigerate for a couple of hours to allow the cabbage to wilt slightly and absorb the dressing.