My husband Gene enjoyed this sandwich at the Beach Walk Inn in Destin, Florida. I have adapted Chef Tim Creehan’s recipe to my taste. I have also included a Weight Watcher’s recipe for pan fried fish.
Chipotle Tartar Sauce:
- 1-1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
- 2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
- 1/4 cup pickle relish
- pureed chipotle pepper to taste (rehydrate – see below)
Chipotle peppers are dried jalapenos which give some heat and a nice smokey flavor to recipes. Gene built this smoker for me so I could dry my own – I had a lot of jalapenos turn red and then I smoked them. A bunch of them can be rather potent so this smoker was made just for making my own chipotles.
Rehydrating Dried Jalapenos:
Allow the jalapenos to turn red and dry in a smoker. Cut open each pepper, remove and discard the stem. Pull out as much of the membrane and seeds as you wish – the more you leave in the hotter the puree will be. You will just have to experiment… You can buy these peppers dried at certain grocery stores if you do not grow your own – I found mine at the Produce Station.
Add just enough water to cover the chiles and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes, remove from the heat and let stand for 30 minutes.
Pour the cooled chilies and cooking water into a blender and puree. Strain through a sieve to remove any seeds. Use right away in this recipe or freeze for later use.
Combine all of the sauce ingredients and chill for a few hours. My recipes for Remoulade Sauces and Tartar Sauces.
Sandwich:
- grouper or any mild, thin fish fillet
- Lemon Pepper Chef’s Grill Plus (or any lemon pepper seasoning)
- toasted Kaiser or onion rolls
- Napa cabbage, thinly shredded
- tomato slices
Preheat a grill surface (your grill or grill pan). Season the fish with lemon pepper seasoning and grill until cooked through. Personally, I prefer this fish to be lightly pan fried – I like my fish a little crispy for this sandwich. See Weight Watcher’s recipe below for pan frying.
Weight Watcher’s Pan Fried Fish Sandwich:
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp. dried
- salt and pepper to taste
- grouper, flounder or tilapia fillets
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 large egg white, whipped until stiff
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
Combine cornmeal, cheese, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Spread both sides of fillets with mustard, dip into the egg white and then dip into the cornmeal mixture.
Heat the oil and cook just a few minutes per side on medium – you want a nice crust to form.
There is a 6 point value per sandwich with 1 tsp. tartar sauce, only 4 points if you do not use bread.