Breaded Fish Sandwich with Homemade Dressing

As I have said before, Charlie loves sandwiches, and consequently, I spend quite a bit of time trying new sandwiches - either by a new recipe or by making up my own recipe.  One day I decided to make a breaded fish sandwich, and it was a big hit.

Gently toasted bread, flaky delicious white fish, sliced fresh vegetables and a delicious homemade dressing.... tasty.  

The only problem was that it was a little hard to take a bite out of it! 

Breaded Fish Sandwich with Homemade Dressing

the fish

• about 2 pounds skinless white fish fillets (flounder, halibut, walleye, bass, cod, ect...)
• salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• some oil or butter for the pan

the sandwich toppings

• 1 to 2 cups fresh spinach leaves (lettuce would work fine, as well)
• tomato slices
• onion slices 
• buns for the sandwiches, slightly toasted

the sauce (yum, I love the sauce!)

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 teaspoons relish
• 1 tablespoon finely diced onion
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons chopped capers
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/2 fresh lemon, juiced
• dash salt, to taste

For the fish:
Cut fish fillets into four pieces.  Collect three shallow containers out for the dredging station.  In one container, stir together the flour, bread crumbs, old bay seasoning, salt and pepper.  In the next container, thoroughly mix the beaten eggs, milk, and soy sauce.  Heat your pan to about 350 degrees F. (or medium hot), and spread desired fat around in it.  Dredge the fish fillets in flour, then dip in the egg mixture, then dip in the breadcrumb mixture.  Gently lay the fillets into the pan, making sure they are not touching each other.  Let them fry for a minute or so, then adjust the heat down; adding the fish drops the heat of the oil, which is why you want to kick the heat up for a minute or two to compensate. If you can’t get all the fish into the pan at once, fry in batches.  Fry the fish until it is golden brown, about 3 to 6 minutes per side; use the longer range if your fish fillets are thicker than an inch.  Before removing from heat, do the flake test - just use a fork to gently see if the fish meat will flake.  Set on paper towels to drain.

To put it together:
Lightly toast the buns, then spread the sauce on both sides.  Add spinach, fish fillets, onion and tomato.  Time to dive in!