With summer here, bring the beach back home and to the dinner table with chef Mike Wiley's fish sandwich.
Featured in his new book, "Eventide," Wiley shares his take on the "modern lobster shack" fare cuisine served at the Maine seafood restaurant of the same name. The book also features recipes for clambakes, oysters, lobster rolls and more.
The fish sandwich makes the perfect lunch or dinner for a taste of Maine in your home.
"Good Morning America" has the full recipe below for the sandwich and all the homemade fixings below, but feel free to use store-bought items too to save time.
Yield: 4 sandwiches
Ingredients: 4 cups water
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to season
1 pound hake fillets (or cod, haddock, or pollock), skin and pinbones removed
Canola oil for frying
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 cups panko bread crumbs
4 sesame burger buns, sliced open
1⁄2 cup Fillet of Fish Tartar Sauce (recipe follows, but store-bought is fine)
1⁄2 cup tare sauce (recipe follows, but store bought is fine)
1 cup drained Bread and Butter Pickles (recipe follows, but store-bought is fine)
1 1⁄2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
Directions:
Pour the water and salt into a nonreactive container. Stir to dissolve the salt and create a brine. Cut the hake fillets in four equal portions and place them in the brine. Cover the container and put it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.
Fill a large pot with 3 inches of canola oil and heat on high to 350°F (or bring a deep-fryer to 350°F). Line a plate with paper towels. Remove the fish from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Place a big piece of plastic wrap on your counter or a cutting board. Put a piece of hake on the plastic wrap and cover with another piece of plastic wrap. Pound gently with a meat mallet or a small pan until you have a 1⁄3- to 1⁄2-inch-thick piece of fish.
Repeat with the remaining fillets and set aside. Pull out three shallow bowls to set up your breading station.
Set up a plate or rack nearby. In the first bowl, put the flour. Crack the eggs into the second bowl and beat them with a splash of water. In the third bowl, put the panko bread crumbs. Dip each fillet in the flour to cover and shake off the excess back into the bowl. Then dip in the egg to cover and shake the excess back into the bowl. Finally, dip the fillets in the bread crumbs to cover and shake the excess back into the bowl. Set the breaded fillets aside on the plate or rack. Set up a large pot with a steamer insert, or a bamboo steamer set over a wok, and steam the burger buns to freshen them up, about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, but leave the buns in the steamer to keep warm.
Carefully slip the fillets into the hot oil, working in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pot. Fry the fish for 3 to 4 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and a cake tester or skewer slides through the fish without resistance. Using a slotted spoon or wiremesh strainer, remove the fish from the oil and place on a paper towel– lined plate; sprinkle with salt.
Pour a light film of oil in a pan and heat over high heat. Pull the buns out of the steamer and lightly toast the cut sides for 30 to 60 seconds. Slather the bottom of each bun with an abundant amount of tartar sauce and place a piece of fried fish on top. Drizzle the fish with the tare, then top with the pickles, a good amount of shredded lettuce, and the top bun. Serve immediately.
Sesame Burger Bun
Yield: 12 buns
Ingredients:
1 1⁄2 cups plus 1 tablespoon water, at room temperature
1⁄2 cup sugar
5 teaspoons (2 packets) active dry yeast
3 tablespoons plus 3⁄4 teaspoon nonfat dry milk powder
6 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 3⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
2⁄3 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 1⁄4 sticks / 254.4 grams), at room temperature
Finishing salt
Black and white sesame seeds for sprinkling
Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the water, sugar, yeast, and milk powder on low speed. Let bloom for 5 to 10 minutes until the mixture is frothy. Add 3 1⁄4 cups (390 grams) of the flour and the kosher salt, baking soda, and baking powder and mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes. Add the remaining 3 1⁄4 cups (390 grams) of flour and mix on low speed until the dough begins to come together in shaggy strands, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and continue to mix on low speed until the dough becomes smooth, about 5 minutes (the dough should slowly bounce back if you poke it with a finger). Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let proof in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour.
Punch down the dough and portion it into twelve 3.5-ounce balls. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease the paper with canola oil or cooking spray. Arrange the balls evenly on the parchment paper with a few inches between them. Mist the dough with a spray bottle of water, then sprinkle with the finishing salt and sesame seeds. Cover with a towel and let proof for 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours, until the dough again bounces back slowly if you poke it with a finger.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Bake the buns for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the sheet once halfway through, until evenly browned. Use immediately, store in an airtight container for up to five days at room temperature, or freeze for up to one month.
Tare
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
4- to 6-inch knob of ginger, peeled and minced
2 cups chicken stock
1 1⁄2 tablespoons mirin
1 1⁄2 tablespoons sake
1 tablespoon sugar
2 to 6 tablespoons soy sauce
Directions:
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the garlic and ginger until they start to brown. Add the chicken stock, mirin, sake, and sugar.
Stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan as you bring the liquid to a boil; then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tare has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, 30 to 60 minutes.
Turn off the heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Season with the soy sauce to taste, until the mixture is rich and savory to your liking. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Bread and Butter Pickles
Yield: 3 cups
Ingredients:
1 pound pickling cucumbers or peeled daikon radish, thinly sliced
Filtered water
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1⁄2 teaspoon mustard seed
1⁄8 teaspoon celery seed
1⁄8 teaspoon black peppercorns
1⁄2 cup thinly sliced onion
1⁄2 cup apple cider vinegar
1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1⁄8 teaspoon calcium chloride (such as Pickle Crisp and related products)
Directions:
Place the cucumbers in a large nonreactive container and cover them with filtered water. Add the salt and stir well to dissolve it. Cover and let the container sit at room temperature for a few hours, or overnight.
Combine the mustard seed, celery seed, and peppercorns in a dry pan over medium heat and lightly toast for 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant.
Use a wire mesh strainer or slotted spoon to remove the cucumbers from the soaking water into a bowl and store in the refrigerator. Pour the soaking water into a pot with the onion, vinegar, sugar, turmeric, toasted spices, and calcium chloride. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Remove the mixture from the heat and pour into an airtight heatproof container.
Thoroughly chill the mixture. Drain the cucumbers and mix with the chilled mixture in the airtight container, then return to the refrigerator. They will be ready to eat in 24 hours, but they'll be better after a few days. Store in the refrigerator for several months.
Fillet of Fish Tartar Sauce
Yield: 3 to 4 cups
Ingredients:
⅓ cup Bread and Butter Pickles (store-bought is fine)
⅓ cup cornichons
1 ½ cups House Mayonnaise
¼ cup diced yellow onion
Pinch of finely chopped dill
¾ teaspoon of MSG (optional)
Kosher salt
Fresh lemon juice
Directions:
In a food processor, combine 1⁄3 cup Bread and Butter Pickles (page 193) and 1⁄3 cup cornichons and pulse until you have a chunky mixture.
In a large bowl, combine the mixture with 2 1⁄2 cups House Mayonnaise, 1⁄4 cup diced yellow onion, a big pinch of finely chopped dill, and 3⁄4 teaspoon MSG (optional). Whisk to combine.
Season to taste with kosher salt and fresh lemon juice.