Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Blackened-Redfish Sandwich with Miso Mayonnaise

Before I even begin to tell you about this sandwich, I’m going to suggest you stop what you’re doing, go directly to the nearest kitchen, and whip up a bowl of homemade miso mayonnaise. I wish someone would have given me this advice whenever this recipe was first invented because when I made it last weekend, I immediately felt all those years spent eating other mayonnaises had been squandered. If you’re someone who likes mayonnaise, then you probably already know the wonders of a homemade version. Now, imagine how good that homemade mayonnaise is, and then imagine it even better as if it’s been given a flavor boost. That’s miso mayo. This mayonnaise and the sandwich were in the second issue of Lucky Peach. In the magazine, the sandwich was made with bluefish, but I used Texas redfish. Really, there’s so much going on with flavors from the aforementioned, amazing mayonnaise and the blackening spice, just about any fish or tofu or even blackened bread would make a terrific sandwich here. I cheated in a couple ways in making this. I skipped the recipe for the homemade bread-and-butter pickles for the sandwich. It didn’t seem worth doing since cucumbers aren’t in season right now, and I have a preference for sour dill pickles with no sign of sweetness anyway. So, I used dill pickles from a jar. Next, I cheated with the blackening spice mix. I somehow blanked on the ground konbu in the ingredient list and didn’t even know I should have looked for it at the grocery store. Also, I miscalculated how little mustard seed I had on hand and failed to buy more for this. Oddly enough, I did, however, have the grains of paradise, whole allspice, and tomato powder, along with all the other ingredients, in my spice cabinet. Next time I make this, I will try to get the konbu for the umami it would have added to the mix. In general though, with so many different spices involved, if you add more of one item, less of another, or need to skip something, you’ll still have a great spice mix.

The full list of everything in the blackening spice is: three tablespoons grains of paradise, and I’ve gone on about grains of paradise once before, two teaspoons black peppercorns, one teaspoon coriander seed, four tablespoons mustard seed, one teaspoon cumin seed, one teaspoon whole allspice, one quarter cup ground konbu, three tablespoons onion powder, two tablespoons cayenne powder, one quarter cup tomato powder, and one half cup sweet smoked paprika. Note: in the magazine, the quantity for cayenne powder is six tablespoons, and I think that must have been a typo. I like things spicy, but that seemed like an extraordinary amount of cayenne. I used two tablespoons and tasted to see if I wanted it spicier. Two tablespoons gave it a good amount of heat even to my palate. The whole spices were toasted in a dry skillet, and then ground and mixed with the powdered spices. Fish fillets were seasoned with salt, dredged with the blackening spice, and seared in a hot pan with a little oil. The blackening spice was also used on some oven fries. Again, I cheated. In the magazine, the blackened potato chips were to have been fried. Now, for that amazing mayonnaise, you make a typical homemade mayonnaise and add one tablespoon of champagne vinegar and two tablespoons of white miso. I don’t seem to have the gene that allows one to make a mayonnaise with one egg yolk. Mine always breaks when I start with just one yolk, and I always start over with another yolk and mix the broken oil mixture into the second yolk. I also seem to have better luck with a hand mixer than with a food processor or blender. I’ve used a whisk as well, but a hand mixer is easier. The sandwich was built with toasted and buttered bread, shredded lettuce, sliced pickles, the blackened fish, and the wonder that is miso mayo.

The spice mix does exactly what it’s intended to do once it hits the hot oil in the pan. It blackens as quickly as the fish cooks, and that deepens the flavors of the spices. It was just as delicious on the oven fries, and the extra miso mayo makes a great dipping sauce for them. My mind is already swirling with thoughts of other ways to use that mayonnaise.


22 comments:

  1. I love the idea of flavoring mayonnaise with miso. Those sandwiches look incredibly scrumptious.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. I'll take two to go, extra mayo please! yum!

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  3. I just read an article abt miso in The New York Times and Miso Mayo is one of the easy creations :) And coincidentally, I made some kind of fish sandwich (or burger) recently and totally embrace the idea.

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  4. Although the ingredients included in this recipe are a little daunting for me, I can see it would be worth the trouble in finding them to take one bite of this sandwich! Looks REALLY wonderful!!

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  5. Wow! An amazing looking sandwich and love the sound of the miso mayo!

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  6. I've never tried redfish...what's it similar to?

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  7. Miranda: Redfish is a mild, white-fleshed, thin fillet. It's similar to snapper.

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  8. Mayo + miso?! I am intrigued and can't wait to try this combo. Delish recipe, Lisa :)

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  9. This is my kind of sandwich. Can't get miso around these parts though, so I flavor mayo other ways. Plain may doesn't do it for me.

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  10. I'm a mayo lover so I can't wait to try it with miso. Mark Bittman did a whole article in the NYT Magazine this weekend on miso- you should check it out. Also, I'm going to try your trick of using a hand mixer (which I'll need to purchase) when making mayo next time. I can never seem to make it without it breaking either.

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  11. I only use Japanese mayo, so far have not tried making my own but it must be so awesome. love the look of your sandwich!

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  12. Amazing recipe, Lisa! I am not fond of mayo, so I wonder if a yogurt based spread would work.

    I have grains of paradise, and the other spices, except tomato powder, I am quite smitten by this recipe... Great sandwich!

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  13. I normally do NOT like mayo. At all. Whatsoever...but with miso...I maybe be convinced otherwise.

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  14. Miso in mayo, grains of paradise? There is so much that I have yet to learn about cooking. I'm looking forward to making my own miso mayo. This fish sandwich looks absolutely delicious!

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  15. Though mayo is not my favourite dressing, but this does sound quite interesting with miso. The fish sandwich looks so very tasty!

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  16. A fabulous sandwich! I love making miso mayo for sandwiches or salad, it's so good.

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  17. I love having fish once a week. This is not a fish that I can find around here. Your sandwich looks delish.

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  18. not only does miso mayo have an awesome ring to it, but it sounds crazy delicious too!

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  19. I don't often cook with miso but I do like to make my own mayonnaise. That sandwich looks incredible. I will have to try mayonnaise with miso. xx

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  20. Lisa, this looks truly fantastic. I will make the blackened fish sandwich with that miso (omg!) mayo that frankly sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  21. Yuuuummm. I think that the sandwich is really underated. It can be made into something so beautiful. Obviously you have proved this! Miso mayo, I really want to try this!

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