In this Cornmeal Crusted Fish Sandwiches with Old Bay Tartar Sauce recipe, cornmeal crusted cod is pan-fried and stacked on a soft roll spread with old bay tartar sauce, lettuce and tomato.

Cornmeal Crusted Fish Sandwiches l SimplyScratch.com

I love the weekends and always so sad to see them go.

Especially when we had perfect weather and it was fun and relaxing.

Even though my weekend was pretty jammed packed I did get all dressed up and went to a baby shower and spent some QT with my family and my beautiful sister Julie. I made a mess in the kitchen, Pat rescued a baby bunny and I got tickets for my friend Heidi and I to see ZZ Ward in June. Please tell me you’ve heard of her? I’m totally obsessed with her CD and I listen to her all the time while I’m cooking, driving and well, that’s all I really ever do.

Speaking of fabulous; let’s talk tartar sauce. I’m usually a simplistic person when it comes to tartar sauce… just mayo and sweet pickle relish and a few splashes of Frank’s when the mood strikes me. But I bought a tin of Old Bay forever ago on a whim and then the idea just stuck me to whip up a fancy tartar sauce. Ya know since I was making these yummy fish sandwiches and all.

zee stuff

So I unloaded my fridge and picked a few jars that needed to be polished off.

Of course feel free to whip up your own mayo from scratch. I was pressed for time and grabbed the jarred kind. I also grabbed some jalapenos, capers, sweet pickled relish {a total must}, fresh lemon juice, the old bay, tarragon, salt and pepper, Dijon mustard and fresh chives I picked from my herb garden.

dijon and relish

In a bowl measure out a cup of mayo, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard and two tablespoons of sweet pickle relish.

capers 1

I rinsed off a tablespoon of capers {they were in brine}…

capers 2

And gave those a rough chop.

jalapenos 1

Then I fished out a few jalapenos…

jalapeno 2

…and chopped those up too.

chives

Chop up enough fresh chives to equal a tablespoon or two…

bowl o goods

And then add them into the bowl with the rest.

squeeze

Squeeze in a tablespoon of lemon juice {give or take}.

old bay

Add two teaspoons of old bay…

terragon

A half teaspoon of dried tarragon or one tablespoon fresh. I can nevvvver find fresh, ever.

salt and pepper

Lastly season with salt and pepper to taste. You might want to mix and taste before adding the salt, since the capers add a salty factor… you wouldn’t want to over salt at this point.

stir

Stir, taste… check for salt… you know the drill.

mixed

Then refrigerate until you’re ready to slather some buns.

ingredients

Time to make the cod.

Laptop in the background means Pandora is ON! And ps… there’s no space in cornmeal, I know that.

season cornmeal

In a shallow dish, measure out a cup of corn meal, a teaspoon of Old Bay and a few grinds of black pepper {about a quarter teaspoon}.

stirred

Stir.

cut into pieces

Slice up the fresh cod into thirds… I like two pieces per sandwich, I’m greedy like that.

dip

Next, coat the cod with the seasoned cornmeal. Gently press on the fish for it to stick.

ready for frying

See!

pan fry

Pan-fry the fish in a little oil… I like grapeseed or extra-light olive oil. It’s about 2-3 minutes per side. The fish is done when it can flake easily with a fork.

Cornmeal Crusted Fish Sandwiches l SimplyScratch.com

Bun meets tartar meets fish meets your mouth! Ohhhh so good… and messy. Which is how I like it.

Cornmeal Crusted Fish Sandwiches l SimplyScratch.com

Scrumptious is really the only adjective I can think of to describe these Cornmeal Crusted Fish Sandwiches. And the Old Bay tartar is liquid gold!

Enjoy! And if you give this Cornmeal Crusted Fish Sandwiches recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

Cornmeal Crusted Fish Sandwiches l SimplyScratch.com

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Yield: 6 sandwiches

Cornmeal Crusted Fish Sandwiches with Old Bay Tartar Sauce

Cornmeal crusted cod is fried and stacked on a soft roll spread with old bay tartar sauce, lettuce and tomato.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

FOR THE OLD BAY TARTAR SAUCE:

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
  • 1 tablespoon grainy Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeños
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, or finely minced green onion
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon, or 1 tablespoon fresh
  • kosher salt, to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste

FOR THE SANDWICHES:

  • 16 ounces cod fillets
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil, or extra-light olive oil, for pan-frying
  • 6 hamburger buns
  • romaine lettuce leaves, torn
  • tomato, sliced

Instructions 

MAKE THE OLD BAY TARTAR SAUCE:

  • Combine all the ingredients before the salt and pepper in a bowl, stir and season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Use any leftover tartar as a dip for chips, french fries or onion rings {yum!}.

MAKE THE SANDWICHES:

  • Combine the cornmeal with the Old Bay and black pepper.
  • Cut the fresh cod into equal pieces and dredge in cornmeal, pressing so it sticks to the fish.
  • Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat and add oil. Cook a couple of pieces of fish at a time for about 2-3 minutes per side until fully cooked and flakes easily.
  • Spread a little of the tartar sauce on the bottom half of the hamburger bun, top with two pieces of cod. Top that with fresh sliced tomato, lettuce and the other half of the bun.
Serving: 1sandwich, Calories: 631kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 41g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 19g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 591mg, Potassium: 485mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 202IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 106mg, Iron: 3mg
Author: Laurie McNamara
Course: Mains & Entrees
Cuisine: American