This easy, summery fried fish sandwich has a Cuban kick
By Cat Neville
When The Fig & The Knife’s spices arrived on my doorstep, it was kind of like Christmas in July.
Each one of Janette Gomez’s aromatic spice blends offers a unique mix of ingredients, many that are themed to reflect the flavor of a place. (Browse The Fig & The Knife’s entire collection here!)
Janette has traveled extensively and her passion for exploring the flavor of food cultures across the globe is deliciously apparent in her blends. Take, for example, Frida’s Flavors — this blend offers a smoky taste of Mexico with cumin, chipotle, cilantro and lime. Picasso’s Palette mixes saffron, dried orange, rosemary and anise for a taste of Spain. Take Me to Thailand features galangal, peanut, coconut and lemongrass. But it is the Melba’s Cuban Mojo blend that I was most drawn to. As a first-generation Cuban-American, these are the flavors she grew up with and I wanted to use the blend in a simple dish that would let the garlic, onion and lime be front and center.
To me, summer cooking should be easy and light, so I decided to fry up some fish seasoned with Janette’s Cuban Mojo and pile it onto a sandwich dressed with Cuban-spiced mayo. Rather than mixing up a thick batter, I decided to opt for a light coating of cornstarch to highlight the texture of the tilapia and the flavor of the spices.
This really is a no-recipe recipe … jut mix the spice blend with cornstarch, fry up the fish and build your sandwich … but I have an official recipe below just in case you’d like one for reference. Also, shout-out to our friends at Fair Share Farms in Missouri, who are also part of our Marketplace. I used their fermented garlic pickle chunks to add crunch and acidity to this summer-on-a-bun meal. You can peruse their fresh-from-the-farm ferments here.
Cuban-Spiced Fried Fish Sandwich
Yield: 4 servings
1 cup cornstarch
3 Tbsp plus 2 Tbsp Melba’s Cuban Mojo Signature Spice Blend, divided
4 tilapia fillets (or another light, flaky white fish)
oil for frying
1 cup mayonnaise
4 pretzel buns (or whatever buns you’d like to use)
sliced pickles (I used the fermented Garlic Pickle Chunks from Fair Share Farms)
thinly sliced red onion
12 to 16 leaves Boston bibb lettuce
| Preparation | On a plate, mix the cornstarch and 3 tablespoons Cuban Mojo spice blend. Coat each tilapia fillet with the cornstarch mixture, allowing the fish to rest for a few minutes before frying if you’d like a thicker and crunchier coating. If you want the fish to fry up very lightly, then fry right away.
Add a slick of oil to your pan, just enough to coat the bottom and heat on medium. When oil shimmers, add fish fillets, being careful not to crowd the pan. If you have to fry the fish in rounds, then do so — crowding the pan will make the fish steam rather than fry and you’ll get a soggy result.
While the fish is frying, mix the remaining Cuban Mojo blend with the mayonnaise and set aside. When the fish is golden on one side, flip and fry until golden on the other. Remove to a plate and build your sandwiches.
Spread your spiced mayo on both your top and bottom bun — layer the fish on the bottom bun, followed by the pickles, onions and 3 to 4 leaves of lettuce, capping your sandwich with the top of the bun. Dig in while the fish is still hot!