Xinjiang Spiced Small Fish (Sandwiches)
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In the last few days our son has broken his first smiles, an overwhelming joy that makes up for all manner of nighttime sins. Also this week, I’ve finished working on the below recipe, which is a take on a fried fish sandwich that can stand up to the greats…
Fish sandwiches are some of the best sandwiches. There’s the Filet o’ Fish, of course – addictively perfect. Then there’s the cafe specials like the tuna melt and prawn mayonnaise, as well as the smoked salmon bagel. The almighty fish finger sandwich is a steadfast homemade favourite. And the grilled fish rolls served with onion and lemon, for sale by the water in Eminönü, Istanbul, are hard to beat. All of these mean something to me in their own ways, but below I add a new player to the list.
Whitebait in a sandwich has been on my mind for a while, since I bulk bought frozen whitebait earlier this year in a bid to be healthier/eat more fish. This idea – that to be honest with you had laid dormant in my notes app – was brought front-of-mind again recently by the cute little whitebait sarnies on offer at Melbourne restaurant Cutler and Co.
For my own version months ago, I had pencilled down the idea of five spice whitebait. But I’ll be honest with you: they were completely horrid. My conclusion is that I don’t think five spice and fish are great friends, to tell you the truth – the sweetness of the spice mix just did not bring out the best in the fish. For my second and third goes, I turned instead to Xinjiang spice mix. Inspired by Lao Dao, the Xinjiang restaurant on Walworth road, (from the people behind Silk Road) where I have eaten maybe more than anywhere else this year (3 times lol). Their homemade noodles and skewers are impeccable, and the cumin, Szechuan, chilli spice mix that adorns the sandwich in this here recipe is in tribute to that restaurant.
The fish you choose to use will depend on what your fishmonger/shop have in stock, but you could opt for filleted sardines, whitebait or small red mullet. You can serve a pile of these fish as a starter or side dish or you can make a meal of it and put them in between bread with mayo, coriander and butter. What more do you want?
