Fish, cabbage and Swiss grilled cheese sandwich
All along the East Coast from Maine to Florida, you'll find fried fish sandwiches -- made with local white fish like cod or flounder, halibut or haddock -- on every diner menu. You can always order a grilled cheese sandwich at a diner, too. So why not combine the two classic sandwiches into something even better?
For this sandwich, you start by cooking the fish, and that means you can do it earlier in the day, or even use leftover fish that you've broiled, pan-fried, or cooked on the grill a day or two before. Add some lightly-dressed shredded cabbage or cole slaw, and a couple of slices of Swiss cheese on each sandwich. These fish sandwiches make a perfect lunch or light supper.
Fish, cabbage and Swiss grilled cheese sandwich
From the pantry you'll need: olive oil, Old Bay Seasoning, fresh black pepper, sliced bread, butter, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise.
Serves 2; can be multiplied.
Ingredients
3/4 lb halibut, haddock, cod, or other mild white fish
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
1/2 Tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1-1/2 cups shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix
4 slices firm bread
8 slices Swiss cheese
2-3 Tbsp butter
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a small rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Dry the fish. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, Old Bay Seasoning and black pepper, and rub the mixture on all sides of the fish. Place the fish on the prepared baking sheet, and roast in the oven for 15 minutes (or more, if the fish is very thick). Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
While the fish is cooking, in a mixing bowl stir together the mustard and mayonnaise, and fold in the cabbage until it's well combined. Set aside.
Set a large nonstick frying pan on the stove; it should be large enough to hold two sandwiches at once.
Begin the sandwich assembly: Set out the 4 slices of bread, and place a slice of cheese on each piece of bread. Divide the fish into two pieces, and place one on each of 2 slices of bread. Top the fish with cabbage. Close each sandwich, pressing slightly to flatten the fish.
In the frying pan over low-medium heat, melt half of the butter. Place the two sandwiches in the pan, and weight down slightly with another frying pan or a plate. When the sandwiches are browned on the bottom, add the remaining butter to the pan and turn the sandwiches to brown the second side.
Serve hot.
More grilled cheese sandwiches:
Roast beef panini with caramelized onions and horseradish cheese sauce, from The Perfect Pantry
Bacon jam and cheese panini, from The Perfect Pantry
Monterey chicken grilled cheese, from Iowa Girl Eats
Crispy zucchini grilled cheese with Dijon horseradish aioli, from How Sweet It Is
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This is my kind of sandwich! Why have I never thought to add leftover fish to grilled cheese?! Thanks for the great idea. :)
I love fish sandwiches and I love cabbage on sandwiches, so I'm sure I'd love this What a creative and fun idea.
Janice, I had a "duh" moment when I put this together for the first time, too!
Kalyn, I had planned to eat just a half for lunch, but it was so good that I ate the whole thing!