FISH FINGER SANDWICH

Recently I gave my children fish finger sandwiches for dinner and felt a slight tinge of guilt for not giving them something 'proper'.  The problem was, they were quite delicious and I found myself craving one for myself.  A definite guilty pleasure.

It got me to thinking though, perhaps I could compensate for my lapse as a good mother by creating the perfect fish finger sandwich from scratch rather than a frozen packet, I even made the tartar sauce and some accompanying mushy peas.  It worked and by golly it was heavenly, guilt gone and I am a good mother again.

I used Hake, not the traditional choice but this lesser used fish is just as good as cod and to get that customary orange crumb I've dry fried some chorizo then whizzed it with the bread to make the bread crumbs.  There is enough oil in the chorizo to then just bake them in the oven - simples!

350g Hake Fillet
Flour for dusting
1 Egg Beaten
50g Chorizo
50g Bread for Crumbs

First make your bread crumbs.  Cut the chorizo into slices then each slice in half.  Dry fry them in a pan and allow to cool a little.  Put your bread in a processor along with the chorizo and whizz them into crumbs.  The chorizo will excrete a lovely orange tainted oil into the pan, stir the crumbs into this till combined.

Wash and pat dry the fish in some kitchen roll then cut them into fingers.  Dust each one in flour then dip in the egg.  Now coat the fish finger in the bread crumbs.

Place them on a baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes at 180C. Serve in buttered slices of crusty bread such as Pain de Campagne with tartar sauce and mushy peas on the side.

Tartar Sauce                                                                                         

4 tbsp Mayonnaise                                                                    

1 tbsp Capers Chopped                                        

2 tbsp Tiny Gherkins Chopped                            

1 Shallot Chopped                                              

Lemon Juice to taste

S+P                            

Chop everything finely and mix it all together.  I have to admit that capers are on my very short list of foods I can't bring myself to eat so I didn't put them in and I could tell it wasn't quite right.  So if you don't have the same aversion, keep em in.              

Mushy Peas                                                           

250g Frozen Peas                                                  

1 tbsp Sour Cream                                                 

1 tsp Mint Sauce                                                   

S+P

Boil the peas in hot water, drain and whizz them in a processor with the remaining ingredients.  I didn't process them too much so there was some texture and not baby food

ALL IN ONE PIE - FISH CHIPS & MUSHY PEAS

Now I have to say that I can't take the credit for this first pie, I saw it in the food department of Marks & Spencer and thought it was such a genius idea that I just had to make one.  I thought nothing could beat the invention of the giant yorkshire pudding which essentially becomes your plate and perfectly contains all the ellements of a roast dinner expertly soaking up any meat juices and gravey for the finale.  But I have to say that this fish supper could possibly take the gold.

It got me thinking though, there must be other classic meals that you could shove in a pie.  So this is the start of a small series of recipes of dinners All In One Pie .

I have no idea of the M&S recipe but this is my version.  I've used the same recipe from my fish finger sandwich for the mushy peas in the base and topped it with oven chips as I found they cooked well in a shorter time and the fish won't dry out.  I like to use packs of fish pie mix from the fresh fish section of the suparmarket for the variety of cod, salmon and haddock but you could just stick with cod if you prefer.

390g Fish Pie Mix
Oven Chips

350g Shortcrust Pastry OR
200g Plain Flour
80g Baking Margarine
20g Lard
Cold Water to mix

Mushy Peas
250g Frozen Peas cooked
2 tbsp Sour Cream
1 tsp Mint Sauce
S&P

Boil the peas in hot water, drain and pulse them in a processor with the remaining ingredients leaving some texture.

Tartar Sauce:  4 tbsp Mayonnaise,  1 tbsp Capers Chopped, 2 tbsp Tiny Gherkins Chopped, 1 Shallot Chopped,  1 tsp Horseradish, S+P.  Chop everything finely and mix it all together. 

Make the pastry by rubbing the margarine and lard into the flour.  I use a little lard to make a crisper pastry.  When you can no longer see the lumps, use a knife to stir in enough water to form a dough.  Now use your hands to bring it together.  Divide into 4 then roll each one out and line your pie dishes. (I used the 4" foil ones).

Make the mushy peas and divide between each pie case.  Make the tartar sauce and fold the fish into it.  Now fill each pie with the fish mixture making sure each one gets a good variety of fish.  Lastly finish with enough oven chips to cover. Bake for 25 minutes at 180C Fan

 

Don't forget the vinegar Xxx