Fish sticks, like other breaded frozen products, conjure up images of practical meals. But there’s no reason why you can’t give your truly delicious fish sticks a little bit of class by pairing them with famous ingredients like freshly picked heirloom tomatoes.
A rustic Italian salad that revives yesterday’s bread loaves with fresh tomatoes, herbs, and crunchy sweet onion juices, panzanella is the perfect starting point for changing the way you think about fish sticks.
In this recipe from Andrew Zimmern and Burton Seaver’s The Blue Food Cookbook, freshly cooked, crispy fish sticks serve as a great substitute for bread.
Fish stick “Pantunella”
Number of people: 4 people
material:
12 ounces breaded fish sticks
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
salt
1 1/2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
4 cups arugula
Freshly ground black pepper and fennel blend or black pepper
direction:
Prepare the fish sticks according to package directions, adding an additional 1 to 2 minutes of cooking time for crispier results.
Make the vinaigrette by combining mustard, oil, vinegar, and salt to taste in a large bowl. Place the tomatoes in a separate bowl, add a few spoonfuls of the vinaigrette, and season with salt.
Add the onion, fennel, and arugula to a bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Remove the fish sticks from the oven. Cut or tear each stick into approximately crouton-sized pieces (about 3 pieces per fish stick). To serve, place the fennel and arugula mixture on a platter or plate and top with the seasoned tomatoes and warm fish stick pieces. Sprinkle with the pepper and fennel blend.
___
Excerpt from The Blue Food Cookbook, written by Andrew Zimmern and Burton Seaver in collaboration with Fed by Blue. Excerpt provided by Harvest, a publication of HarperCollins Publishers.
