Pan-Fried Fish Sub with Tartar Sauce

Fish sub with a warm kale and mushroom salad

After July 4th, we were left with many leftover hamburger and hotdog buns needing to be finished. As usual, I scoured the refrigerator and freezer for options of reworking our ingredients into a yummy meal. The end product? This deceptively plain-looking yet SCRUMPTIOUS fried fish sub, accompanied by a refreshing, creamy, crunchy tartar sauce.

This fish and tartar sauce is the same as the one here—feel free to check it out!

Helpful Tips

To prevent fish from sticking to the pan, make sure it is pat down DRY. Save yourself the hassle of scraping off crispy and burnt pieces by taking a paper towel and soaking up any moisture from the fish, then seasoning it and spraying the surface with oil. I guarantee you won’t have much of a mess to clean up after that!

Make sure the pan isn’t too hot, or else you’ll end up with a fillet that’s half burnt, half raw.

Pan-Fried Fish Sub with Tartar Sauce
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
For fish:

• 4 fillets white fish, hotdog bun size (I use tilapia)
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil and cooking spray, for frying

For tartar sauce:

• 4 tbsp light mayonnaise
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 spear dill pickle, finely diced
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• Salt and black pepper to taste

For serving:

• 4 hotdog buns, toasted if preferred
• Toppings of choice: lettuce, tomato, cucumber, etc.

Directions

1. Whisk together all ingredients for tartar sauce and place in refrigerator while you prepare the fish.
2. Heat a large cast iron pan over medium heat and add oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
3. Using a paper towel, pat the fish dry. Sprinkle salt and black pepper over the entire fillet, then spray the surface lightly with cooking spray.
4. Carefully place the fish into the pan and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until opaque. Add more oil if necessary before flipping. The fish is cooked when a sharp knife can fall smoothly through the thickest part of the meat.
5. Assemble the sub with any preferred toppings (simple is best in my opinion), the fried fish, and a smear of the tartar sauce. Serve immediately!

Per serving tartar sauce: 50 calories: 4.7 g carbs; 3.6 g fat; 0.5 g protein

*nutrition of fish depends on fillet size and amount of oil used