For those of you who have been following me for some time, you probably know a couple of things. One, I am from Wisconsin, and two, Wisconsinites love their fish fry. This history of the fish fry dates back who know when, but most likely during Lent, and the population of Roman Catholics in the midwestern states, had fish every friday. I guarantee if I ask my wife what she wants for dinner, on a Friday, it is going to be a fish fry. Â Actually, I have no problem making a fish fry, probably due to the fact that I save a lot of money, and well, I prefer my fish fry over many of the restaurants in town. My wife and kids do as well.
So most often, after work on a Friday afternoon, I gather my ingredients, and begin preparing a fish fry. I am a believer that you should get more than two pieces, or at least the option, when it comes to a fish fry, and with that belief, well, I always have leftover fish. To me, that is never a problem as Saturday mornings and afternoons can be rather busy for us. A quick reheat in the oven, always yields a great leftover meal.
As I typically would reheat the beer battered fish in the oven, and eat with a slight pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon, I could not help but think of the McDonald’s fish fillet sandwich.
It has been years, heck, I do not even know when, since I tried a McDonald’s fish fillet sandwich, or any sandwich from them for that matter. Now sure, I do have an occasional egg McMuffin, but even then, that is far and few. But those visions of a fish fillet sandwich, I could not shake. So, I decided to make my own version, which we all know blows McDonald’s out of the park.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
- 12 oz Can of cold pilsner beer
- 2 cups Bread flour
- 1 large fillet of cod, cut into 3 inch medallions
- Salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- Canola oil, approximately 4 cups
- 1 sturdy sandwich roll, sliced
- 1 cup of lettuce, thinly sliced
- Your favorite tartar sauce, to your liking
- 3 slices of Wisconsin cheddar cheese
- Pickles, optional
Rinse the fillets and pat dry. In a large bowl, add roughly one cup of bread flour, or all purpose flour, and to that add one 12 oz. can of beer and stir to make a thick batter. If you want a thicker batter, add more flour. Add in a generous pinch of salt and pepper to season. This is where it gets a bit messy, so before diving in, heat a medium-sized pot with roughly four cups of oil and bring to a medium to high heat. You want the oil to reach about 375 degrees in temperature. In a separate bowl, add more flour, and season with more salt and pepper. Now it is time to get messy.
Take your dry fillet, one at a time, and place it in the batter. Carefully remove the fillet from the batter, letting any excess batter drip back into the bowl, and then place the fillet into the the bowl of seasoned flour, tossing to coat with the flour. Repeat witha  couple of more fillets. When your oil is ready, add your fillet into the hot oil and cook until golden brown. Do not overcrowd the fillets..
When they are golden brown, remove to a strainer lined with paper towel, season with salt, and let cool. These will be piping hot.
Now to serve as a fish fillet sandwich, take your sliced but and add a generous amount of tartar sauce to the bottom bun. Top that with the sliced lettuce. Add on your fish fillet and top the fish with the cheese. Place on the top bun, and poke a couple of pickles with a toothpick if you desire. I like the pickles as they cut through some of the flavors of the fish and balance everything out.
Well, you know what to do now. Take both hands, pick up that sandwich, and dig in. This could be one of the best fish sandwiches I have ever had. Enjoy.
Beer Battered Fish Fillet Sandwich
Ingredients
- 12 oz Can of cold pilsner beer
- 2 cups Bread flour
- 1 large fillet of cod cut into 3 inch medallions
- Salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- Canola oil approximately 4 cups
- 1 sturdy sandwich roll sliced
- 1 cup of lettuce thinly sliced
- Your favorite tartar sauce to your liking
- 3 slices of Wisconsin cheddar cheese
- Pickles optional
Instructions
- Rinse the fillets and pat dry. In a large bowl, add roughly one cup of bread flour, or all purpose flour, and to that add one 12 oz. can of beer and stir to make a thick batter. If you want a thicker batter, add more flour. Add in a generous pinch of salt and pepper to season. This is where it gets a bit messy, so before diving in, heat a medium-sized pot with roughly four cups of oil and bring to a medium to high heat. You want the oil to reach about 375 degrees in temperature. In a separate bowl, add more flour, and season with more salt and pepper. Now it is time to get messy.
- Take your dry fillet, one at a time, and place it in the batter. Carefully remove the fillet from the batter, letting any excess batter drip back into the bowl, and then place the fillet into the the bowl of seasoned flour, tossing to coat with the flour. Repeat witha couple of more fillets. When your oil is ready, add your fillet into the hot oil and cook until golden brown. Do not overcrowd the fillets..
- When they are golden brown, remove to a strainer lined with paper towel, season with salt, and let cool. These will be piping hot.
- Now to serve as a fish fillet sandwich, take your sliced but and add a generous amount of tartar sauce to the bottom bun. Top that with the sliced lettuce. Add on your fish fillet and top the fish with the cheese. Place on the top bun, and poke a couple of pickles with a toothpick if you desire. I like the pickles as they cut through some of the flavors of the fish and balance everything out.