Recipes

Chinese Fish Sandwich

Serves 4

| Prep Time: 25 mins

| Cook Time: 20 mins

| Total Time: 45 mins

You may need: Silk Road Blend

Discover The Recipe

Skip the drive-thru and make a delectable Chinese Fish Sandwich (Shaanxi Fish Roujiamo) right from the comfort of your own kitchen. Inspired by the Chinese equivalent to a pulled pork sandwich, known as ‘Roujiamo’ (RO-ja-moh), our Chefs take creative license to adapt this classic to make an exotically tasty Chinese Fish Sandwich, featuring a soft potato bun, crispy fish filet, crunchy pickled cucumbers and spicy-savory mayo. What makes this fish sandwich even so special is our Silk Road Blend. Aptly named, this blend delivers bold flavors from the Western Chinese province of Shaanxi, which was a major throughway of ancient spice traders on the Silk Road to the Middle East. Fusing spices like cumin, coriander, sesame seeds and sichuan pepper; this blend works beautifully as a dry rub for lamb, beef, or pork and fish or as an all purpose seasoning for stir-fries, soups, stews and soups.

Simple and eminently satisfying, our Chinese Fish Sandwich piques all of your taste buds. This recipe starts by seasoning a white fish filet using our nutty Silk Road Blend then coating it with a panko crust. Then we air-fry it to golden perfection and stuff the filet between pillowy, soft potato buns. Home made condiments will take this fish sandwich to the next level. There’s crunchy quick-pickled cucumbers that are a play on a classic Chinese cucumber salad, and a simple, creamy, bold-flavored spicy mayo sauce to bring everything together and add depth. Try making a roasted pulled pork version with this spice blend and sauce instead of fish. Either way, you’re in for a treat!

Ingredients

Quick Pickled Cucumbers
½ cup seasoned rice vinegar (room temperature)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 medium cucumber, sliced into thin rounds
Spicy Mayo
½ cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp hot sauce, any of your choice
½ tsp Piquant Post Silk Road Blend
Fish Sandwich
4 (4oz) fish filets, use a mild white fish like whiting, cod, flounder, halibut, or snapper
2 tsp Piquant Post Silk Road Blend plus 1 tsp to season panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp salt
1 ½ cups plain panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup flour
2 large eggs, whisked
1 tsp oil, for frying
To serve: potato buns, lettuce, lemon wedges

Notes

If you aren’t in a rush, feel free to let the fish marinate for 30 minutes before cooking for even more earthy flavor.

You can also use cooking spray to coat the fish filets in the air fryer.

Instructions

Prepare the quick pickled cucumbers by combining the rice vinegar, sugar, salt and red pepper flakes and stirring well until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the sliced cucumbers and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate. For the spicy mayo, add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix well then set aside.

Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Season fish with 2 tsp Piquant Post Silk Road Blend and salt then set aside. Mix panko breadcrumbs and 1 tsp Piquant Post Silk Road Blend in a shallow bowl. Add flour to a separate bowl then add eggs to another separate bowl.

Dip fish into flour and coat on both sides. Shake off any excess flour and then dip it into the egg, coating both sides. Allow any excess egg wash to drip then lay the fish onto the panko breadcrumbs and press lightly for the breadcrumbs to stick on both sides. Set the breaded fish aside on a plate and repeat until finished.

Place the breaded fish filets in an even layer in the air fryer basket. Drizzle with the oil and cook for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and opaque, flipping halfway through cooking. Remove the fish filets from air fryer and assemble the sandwich. Layer lettuce onto the bottom bun followed by the fried fish filet, quick pickles and spicy mayo then finish with the top bun.

Alternatives & Substitutions

You can use any fish of your choice but we recommend one that is mild flavored such as flounder, haddock, cod, halibut, pollock or snapper. Ask the server at the fish counter to filet the fish for you if necessary.
The quick pickled cucumbers are a play on a classic Chinese cucumber salad and add a crunchy, tangy and sweet element to the sandwich. Feel free to use unseasoned rice vinegar or even white wine vinegar if you choose. You can also add thinly sliced carrots for a bit of color.
If you don’t own an air fryer then you can fry the fish on the stovetop. Heat a shallow frying pan over medium and pour enough oil until it reaches about 2 inches from the rim. Test the heat by dipping a chopstick in the oil and if small bubbles form around the chopstick then your oil is ready. Alternatively, you can drop a breadcrumb in and if it sizzles your oil is ready. Gently lower the fish into the oil and fry for 6 minutes on each side.
You can also bake the fish at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes on each side. Be sure to place the fish on a parchment lined baking sheet that is well oiled with cooking spray.
Have you ever heard of Kewpie Mayo? It’s a Japanese-style mayonnaise that is rich, tangy and totally addictive. Try this in place of regular mayonnaise for an even more authentic touch.
We always lookout for our plant-based friends, so try this recipe with extra firm tofu in place of the fish for a vegan take. Also checkout our other recipes like Scallion and Corn Pancakes, Yu Xiang Eggplant, and Spicy Tofu Steaks using the Silk Road Blend.
Our Silk Road Blend is a spicy cumin-y blend that pairs perfectly with your favorite meats, fish and veggies. Try our recipes for Cumin Shrimp with Garlic Rice and Cumin Lamb, or our Spicy Beef Lo Mein.
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