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Fish Sandwiches
Anchovies, sardines, or freshly boiled fish may be used for sandwiches. These are better pounded to a paste, with a few drops of lemon-juice added during the pounding. Fresh white fish, like cod, may be seasoned with salt and pepper, moistened with a little mayonnaise or even a plain white sauce, and then put between two layers of buttered white bread.
A method rather than a formula: any of three fish, pounded or flaked, bound and spread. The proportions are left to the cook, so the useful guidance is in texture and seasoning.
- The hinge is the poundingAnchovy and sardine sandwiches fail when the fish stays in lumps that tear the bread and slide out. Work the fish to a genuinely smooth paste in a mortar or small processor before anything else goes in; the lemon juice added during pounding both loosens the paste and cuts the oil.
- Salt from the tinAnchovies packed in salt or oil are far saltier than the fresh cod in the same paragraph. Taste before adding any salt, and consider rinsing salt-packed anchovies and patting them dry.
- Freshly boiled fishCod, haddock or pollock poached and cooled works well. Flake it and check carefully for pin bones and skin; the original says nothing about boning.
- The binderMayonnaise is the easier choice. If using the white sauce, make it thick — roughly a tablespoon each of butter and flour to a half cup of milk — and let it cool completely, or it will soak the bread.
- QuantitiesAs a working guide, a 2 oz tin of anchovies or one 3.75 oz tin of sardines makes enough paste for four to six rounds; about a cup of flaked cooked fish with two tablespoons of binder does the same.
- Butter the bread firstThe instruction to butter both slices is not decoration. A thin film of softened butter waterproofs the crumb against an oily or saucy filling, which matters if the sandwiches are made ahead.
- Keep them coldCooked fish bound with mayonnaise is a perishable filling. Refrigerate until served and do not leave assembled sandwiches at room temperature for more than a couple of hours.