Meatless alternatives have become an option many enjoy. Consider cooking your Reuben with fish caught in the chilly waters off Massachusetts and New York such as striped bass, flounder, tuna, cod, haddock and halibut.
I am a big fan of cod in particular. They give a briny scent of the sea as they defrost so you know they are still fresh. If they smell like fish they are not fresh. These fish are delicious eaten roasted, grilled, fried or sautéed.
Cooking a seafood Reuben is easy if you simply coat a piece of cod or other fish with crushed Ritz crackers, and then place 2 tablespoons of butter on top. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees for 20 minutes and remove.
I used panko in the recipe below because it’s made of rice and is gluten-free, unlike Ritz crackers. I don’t use sauerkraut with seafood Reubens, but it may work fine for you. Homemade coleslaw seems to work better for me and is also easier to make with a food processor, 1 Tbsp mayo, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice, rice wine and balsamic vinegars. Just follow the instructions below and you may discover a new way to savor St. Patrick’s Day as I did. Enjoy!
Seafood Reuben Sandwich
March 2016
Serves 1-2
Ingredients
1 lb cod, rinse, then coat in panko you have ground in a blender to make it less granular.
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 slices caraway seeded rye bread or gluten-free bread
1 cup fresh coleslaw
1 slice Swiss cheese
2-4 dill pickles, optional
For the dressing:
⅓ cup mayonnaise, Hellman’s is recommended or make homemade (see recipe below)
2 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp sweet chili bottled sauce
½ tsp fresh lemon juice fresh ground pepper to taste
Mayonnaise Recipe
Yields 1 ½ cups
1 egg yolk
½ tsp dry mustard
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 cup canola oil
1 dash paprika
Blend all ingredients at low speed with ¼ cup oil. Turn blender off then turn on and add rest of oil until consistency looks like mayonnaise. Yum!
1. Cut 1 Tbsp of butter into thin slices and place on top of cod with smoked paprika. Roast the cod in oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
2. On one slice of bread place coleslaw and roasted cod.
3. Mix together all the “dressing” ingredients until smooth and spread on the other slice of bread. Place the Swiss cheese on top of the dressing.
4. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add ½ Tbsp butter to the pan and place the sandwich on top of the melted butter.
5. Cook until golden, pressing down with a spatula, about 2 minutes.
6. Lift the sandwich from the skillet and add the remaining ½ Tbsp butter. Toast the other slice of sandwich until golden and the cheese has melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve your Reuben with dill pickles as a nice garnish.
Check out Zox’s Kitchen on www.longislandweekly.com for more recipes. Visit www.zoxkitchen.com for details about past columns.