Buttermilk fried Nashville hot fish

This recipe is inspired by the restaurant Alberto's Lounge in Surry Hills. Crisp, golden fried fish teamed up with pickled onions, tartare sauce and a hot oil sauce – all encased in slices of soft white bread.

Buttermilk fried Nashville hot fish Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 500 ml buttermilk
• 2 fillets deep sea bream, halved longways
• 1 cup (150 g) plain flour
• salt
• vegetable oil, for frying 8 slices soft white bread, crusts cut off
• ½ iceberg lettuce, shredded

Quick pickled onion

• 2 red onions, sliced
• 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns or Sichuan peppercorns
• 4 sprigs thyme or rosemary
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp chilli flakes

Hot oil sauce

• ¾ cup light olive oil
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic powder

Quick tartare sauce

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp pickle relish
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground mustard seeds, or Keen's mustard powder

Marinating time: 30 minutes

Instructions

1. Pour the buttermilk into a large bowl. Add the fish fillets and gently push to submerge in the buttermilk. Allow to sit for 15-30 minutes before using.
2. Meanwhile, make the pickled onions by combining the red onion, peppercorns and herbs in a large jar. Combine the water and apple cider vinegar in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Add the salt, honey and chilli flakes and cook for a further 3 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Pour the brine into the jar, allow to sit for 20 minutes before using.
3. To make the hot oil sauce, in a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Whisk in the sugar, cayenne pepper, paprika, pepper and garlic powder. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. For the tartare sauce, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Set aside.
5. In a large saucepan, fill with vegetable oil so the fish can cook in 6-8cm of oil. Place on medium heat.
6. Remove the fish from the buttermilk and drain over a wire rack placed over a baking tray lined with paper towel, to allow the excess buttermilk to drip off.
7. Combine the flour and a generous pinch of salt to a large bowl. Pat the fish fillets lightly with paper towel, then dredge them in the flour. Double coat the fillets in flour if you want an extra thick coating.
8. Deep fry the fish for 5 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove the fillets to a plate and immediately spoon over the hot oil sauce on both sides of the fish. Halve the fillets.
9. Layer the bread slices with lettuce, tartare sauce, fried fish, pickled onion, then top with a second slice of bread.

 

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

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