I discovered the joy of surf fishing a few years ago on a family vacation to Gulf Shores Alabama. Relaxing on the beach with your toes in the sand and a pole in the water is zen-like, well until you double up on some Whiting and you're sprinting across the sand to your pole. This is going to be my first of hopefully many catch and cook recipes. What do you do with a freezer full of Whiting? I decided on a Po' Boy sandwich, a Whiting Po' Boy to be exact.
This classic sandwich is normally prepared with fried shrimp but variations are common from Roast Beef to Oysters and many in between. I had a freezer full of Whiting and Spade fish so a fried fish sandwich seemed to be a forgone conclusion. A Whiting Po' Boy checked all the boxes. Delicious crispy fish with a slightly spicy remoulade sauce with fresh crisp veggies all tucked into a French Baguette. What's not to like?
Self Sufficient
I've always wanted to do a catch and cook recipe. I'd like to think my expert fishing skills made this recipe possible. In reality, I had no clue about surf fishing. I live a long way from saltwater. However, I was lucky enough to stumble upon Bama Beach Bum. A local fisherman and guide. I had watched his videos before heading down so I had a basic understanding of the ins and outs of surf fishing. Luckily for me, it was Father's Day weekend and my family had arranged for me to go out with the man himself. Between a successful outing with him and a week of fishing behind the rental house, I was full up on fish. If you need some pointers or a guide I highly recommend checking out his Youtube channel.
Why Whiting?
So why Whiting? Well, I had already burned up all my shrimp on the Grilled Harissa Shrimp recipe and Whiting fillets are the perfect size for a sandwich. It's a flakey white fish that's delicious, common, easy catch, and they grow very quickly so you don't have to worry about overfishing. Oh yeah, and I had a freezer full. All joking aside it's one of the better fish for frying in my opinion. They do have some small pin bones so I recommend getting some tweezers to pull a few the knife may have missed during cleaning. If you don't want to catch your own, you are in luck. Whiting is readily available in most grocery stores.
Check out the video below for step by step instructions. If you make a Whiting Po' Boy be sure and tag me on social media @ilovemeat.com . I love seeing everyone's pictures. Enjoy.
Whiting Po' Boy Sandwich
Ingredients
- 8 Whiting Fillets
- 1 French baguette split into two pieces
- 1 Cup Mayo
- 1 Cup Seasoned Cornmeal
- 1 Cup Shredded Iceberg Lettuce
- 1 Sliced Tomato
- ¼ Cup Creole Mustard
- 1.5 TBS Minced Garlic
- 1 TBS Ketchup
- 1 TBS Prepared Horseradish
- 1 TBS Hot Sauce
- 1 TBS pickle juice
- 2 TBS Cajun Seasoning
- 1 TBS Paprika
- ½ TBS Tarragon
- ½ TBS Lemon juice
Instructions
- For the spicy Remoulade, combine Mayo, Mustard, Garlic, Ketchup, Horseradish, Hot Sauce, Pickle Juice, Cajun Seasoning, Paprika, Tarragon, and Lemon juice in a mixing bowl and whisk until incorporated.
- Batter Whiting fillets with Seasoned Cornmeal
- Fry Whiting @ 350 in vegetable oil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
- Slice Baguette and assemble sandwich.
- Enjoy
