Tempura Fish Sandwiches with California Avocado Slaw

Thank you, California Avocados, for sponsoring this post! 

All thoughts are my own!

I no longer have a wedding to plan or a book tour to travel for, which means I’m mostly free for the summer! Summer vacation, here I come! I still have book 2 to write in the next few months, but that feels totally less daunting now that I don’t have a giant party to coordinate. Next week I’m off to Lake Tahoe for a friend’s bachelorette party and I can’t wait to causally float in the blue water and even out my tan. I’m also in charge of dinner for the group and I have some fun dinner surprises up my sleeve.

Summer cooking might just be my favorite season of food, second to hearty winter feasts or fall baking. I feel like a perfect summer meal is both indulgent and refreshing at the same time. Like enjoying ice cream, french fries, and a crisp salad at the same time. When you spend more time in the hot sun, you gotta replenish your energy somehow!

Fried seafood with some bright vegetables and a cold beer is the ultimate summer meal for me. I’ve been wanting to work on a fried fish sandwich recipe for years now and I finally got around to it! I love a crispy, fried fish sandwich. A little filet-o-fish was my favorite growing up and I wanted to make a more grown-up version with more nutritional value. June is also California Avocado Month so I wanted to celebrate the beautiful fruit in a recipe! To be honest, it always feels like California Avocado Month in our house with the amount of avocado we go through!

I picked up some fresh ling cod, which is mild in flavor with a delicate texture, and fried it in a beer tempura batter for a perfectly light, not-too-heavy crunch. Fried fish needs tartar sauce or something bright and tangy to balance out the fried aspect. So I used ripe, Fresh California Avocados as the base to a delicious avocado tartar sauce of sorts! Not mayo needed because the California Avocados provide all the richness and creaminess it needs! Some lemon juice, pickle juice, a jalapeno, and tender herbs were also thrown into the mix for flavor. Everything gets piled on a buttery, toasted brioche bun with a pickle and more California Avocado for a perfect summer sandwich. If you’re not feeling a bun, everything also tastes amazing as a taco or rice bowl form too! I’ll be making all the variations of these Tempura Fish and California Avocado Slaw Sandwiches all season.

California Avocados are in season through Summer so there is plenty of time left to enjoy them. Make sure your avocados are from California by looking at the label!

Tempura Fish Sandwiches with  California Avocado Cabbage Slaw

PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 8 MINUTES
SERVINGS: 4

Slaw:

1 ripe, Fresh California Avocado, peeled and with pit removed

1 jalapeno

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup pickle juice

1/4 cup tarragon

1/3 cup parsley

2 tbsp chives

4 cup shredded cabbage

Fish:

1lb ling cod, cut into 4 portions

1 tsp salt, divided

Neutral-oil for frying.

1 large egg yolk

1 cup ice water or light beer

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp cornstarch

4 brioche buns

4 pickle slices

1 ripe, Fresh California avocado, thinly sliced

1. Prepare the avocado cabbage slaw: In a bowl of a food processor, combine avocado, jalapeno, lemon juice, pickle juice, tarragon, parsley, and chives. Blend until mostly smooth. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the avocado tartar sauce for the sandwiches. In a large bowl, mix to combine the cabbage with remaining avocado tartar sauce. Chill in the fridge until ready to use, up to 2 days.

2. Line a small baking sheet or plate with paper towels. Pat the fish completely dry and season with 1/2 tsp of salt.

3. In a heavy bottom pot, heat about 3-inches of oil until 370-degrees.

4. While the oil is heating up, mix the tempura batter: In a medium bowl, whisk to combine egg yolk with ice water or light beer. Add flour and cornstarch and mix until a few lumps remain in the batter.

5. Once the oil is hot, pat any remaining moisture off the fish and dip into the batter. Shake off any excess batter and carefully lower into the oil. Fry the fish in batches of 2 to avoid lowering the oil temperature. Fry until the batter is crispy and the fish fully cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and season immediately with remaining 1/2 tsp salt.

6. Assemble the sandwiches: Toast the buns and smear a thin layer of remaining avocado tartar sauce. Add the fish, slaw, pickle slice, and sliced avocado. Top with the bun and serve immediately.