British Dining: Mushy Peas and Fried Fish Sandwiches

When Marc and I went to London in March, our bodies almost fell apart. I don't think that either of us ate a vegetable the entire week we were there. I don't understand what it is about that place that noone eats vegetables. There was one night we attempted to order a salad and it came literally with 2 pieces of iceberg lettuce, canned corn and canned olives, drenched in oil! It was kind of funny, being that we usually only buy organic produce and in London we couldn't even find restaurants that were serving anything remotely vegetable-like.

But then there was this one day, where we ate the best fried fish sandwiches with mushy peas on the side. Since then I told him I would attempt to recreate the dish one day. So here it is!

The mushy pea recipe was adapted from Jamie Oliver's Happy Days with the Naked Chef. I served it topped with homemade tartar sauce.


Serves 4.

Ingredients
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup mixed frozen veggies (I used this because I did not have enough peas--but using all peas is desirable)
1 large potato, cut into large chunks
10 mint leaves
1 1/2 T butter
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
4 filet of fish (I used wild Cod)
extra virgin olive oil
4 Rolls (or 8 slices of white bread for true brit-effect)
1/4 c flour
1/4 c panko
1 egg
2 T cage free organic mayo
10 cornichon

Timing Tip: I made the veggies first and then reheated them over low heat when the fish was almost done. I also made the tarter sauce while the fish was frying. You do not want to bread the fish and let it sit for a while or it will get soggy.

For the Peas:
1. Boil the potato in water until just tender. Add the vegetables and mint. Cook for about 2 more minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool for a few minutes.





 2. Put the veggies into the food processor (or blender) and add a dash of salt and pepper. Mix until well combined. Place the pureed veggies back into the pan and heat with the butter. Stir until combined.





For the Fish:
1. Rinse the fish and pat dry.






 

2. Place flour on one plate and panko on another. Crack egg into a bowl and beat with a dash of salt and pepper.




 


3. Dredge the fish in flour. Dip in egg. Dredge the fish in panko. Then heat a generous splash of olive oil in a frying pan big enough for the filets. Heat until hot (oil will sizzle if you add a drop of water and there should be waves in it). Add the fish. Fry on both sides until golden brown and cooked through. (The fish should flake when poked with a fork.


For the Tarter Sauce:
1. Chop the cornichons up finely.
2. Mix cornichons with mayo, salt and pepper (to taste).

Serve the fish on bread/rolls, topped with sauce, and sided with the peas. Voila. Brit meal in a hurry!