A tangy, salty, and oh-so crunchy Italian cabbage slaw with crispy seared fish all tucked between a spicy Mayo slathered bun: these Spicy Antipasti Slaw Fish Sandwiches are a summer fav!!
Jump to RecipeSummer’s here!! At least for me, that is. And, let me tell you, these 95 degree Virginia days are in full agreement. Hence, I’m all about the fresh flavors, backyard barbecues, and summer dinners on the patio. There’s truly nothing better. Excluding the imperative burgers and dogs over Memorial Day weekend, July 4th, and Labor Day, however, I can sometimes find this type of summer food to get a bit repetitive. Sometimes I’m just in need of mixing it up, ya know? Oh, and, I’m sometimes thrown into a more pescatarian type of crowd. If you’re ever in a similar scenario—or simply are in need of a good ‘ole fish recipe, for that matter — you’ve gotta make these Spicy Antipasti Slaw Fish Sandwiches. You’ve just gotta.
The breakdown…
These Spicy Antipasti Slaw Fish Sandwiches are a bit different than your average fish sandwich. You see, I throw a whole frickin antipasti salad of sorts right in between the bread, I know, mind blowing…lol. Personally, I just feel like the tartar sauce and lettuce situation is only so good. So, to start off this recipe, I like to whip up a simple antipasti slaw. The ingredients in this one are your very classic Italian classic flavors… plus or minus a few. I go with salami, cabbage, oregano, red wine vinegar, green olives, and sweet pickled red cherry peppers on the classic side of things. Super briney and tart: they’re delicious. I’d even recommend going in with some stuffed green olives, if you would like. Along the traditional route, artichokes, celery, provolone, or enoki mushrooms would also be delicious additions. Go with what you love!!
the unique bits…
With those classic ingredients, the slaw of these Spicy Antipasti Slaw Fish Sandwiches also has a few unique players. I’m talking tons of fresh dill, some creamy avocado, and all the garlic. Just a few things that I think play well with the fish, ya know? It’s super fresh and flavorful when it all gets mixed up with a simple olive oil red wine vinegar vinaigrette. To be honest, though, the key is in how you thinly slice everything. You want the textures to me nice and sharp, and a thin slice rly achieves this goal. So, go ahead and chop everything up and let everything marinate while you give your fish a simple sear.
Speaking of which, the next part of these Spicy Antipasti Slaw Fish Sandwiches is the actual fish. While you could do an aggressive blackening, or even a fried fish of sorts, I opted to keep everything super simple for this recipe because of the crazy flavors of the slaw. Merely sprinkle some dried fish (key to getting it crispy) with oregano, salt, and pepper. Then, hit it in some super hot oil in a cast iron skillet. You could also do this in a regular skillet or on a grill/grill pan. Really, the preparation of the fish is not too important here. Nor is the type of fish, for that matter. Cod, grouper, haddock, mahi mahi, or snapper would be my go to options. You could also do something fancier like a halibut or bass, though — or even a salmon filet for something a bit different. The world is your oyster, just make sure you get a nice char on it in any case. The char is the best!
that spicy mayo…
The last step of this Spicy Antipasti Slaw Fish Sandwiches recipe is the spicy Mayo. It’s truly the easiest thing ever. Simply mix up mayonnaise with some Dijon and your fav hot sauce. Nothing crazy, yet so delicious with the contrasting tangy slaw. You could even substitute the Mayo with some Greek yogurt — or go half and half. It’s a nice lighter alternative. Either way, slather a good bit of that onto your fav toasty bun and load up those sandwiches with some slaw and crispy fish!
how to serve them up…
This Spicy Antipasti Slaw Fish Sandwiches recipe is truly the best summer recipe. Serving up lunch for a crowd? Maybe having a backyard dinner party? I promise everyone will love this one. Bonus points if you make it at the beach. I recommend serving this one up with some sweet potato fries, some grilled zucchini, or some roasted bell peppers. You could also go with some fries or hush puppies, though, for a different vibe! Really, you can’t go wrong with this one. It’s the best!
I hope you love these Spicy Antipasti Slaw Fish Sandwiches as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below:))
Spicy Antipasti Slaw Fish Sandwiches
Course: Main Course, HandheldCuisine: American, Italian, FusionDifficulty: Easy4
servings25
minutes10
minutes35
minutes
A tangy, salty, and oh-so crunchy Italian cabbage slaw with crispy seared fish all tucked between a spicy Mayo slathered bun: these Spicy Antipasti Slaw Fish Sandwiches are a summer fav!!
Ingredients
- slaw:
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp hot sauce
1 tsp honey
1 tsp dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups purple cabbage, shredded
3 scallions, thinly sliced
½ cup sliced salami or soppressata, thinly sliced into strips
½ cup green olives, roughly chopped
½ cup sweet pickled cherry peppers
6 sprigs dill, roughly chopped
1 avocado, thinly sliced
- fish:
4 filets white fish, pat dry
Salt, pepper, and dried oregano to taste
2 tbsp oil
- assembly:
½ cup mayonnaise (or greek yogurt)
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp hot sauce
4 kaiser rolls, toasted
Instructions
- In the base of a large bowl, whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, hot sauce, honey, dried oregano, salt, and pepper until combined. Toss in the remaining slaw ingredients and allow the flavors to marinate while you prepare the fish.
- Pat your fish filets dry and generously sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and dried oregano. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Once hot, place your fish filets directly into the hot oil. Sear for 2 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium. Sear for another 2 minutes on that side, then flip the fish and cook for another 3-4 minutes on the second side, or until your fish is flaky and cooked through. (Note: these directions are for a roughly 2-inch thick piece of fish — you may need to adjust the cooking time depending on the size of your filets)
- In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, dijon, and hot sauce.
- Spread a good amount of the prepared spicy mayo onto each bun, then layer on a filet of fish. Top with a big scoop of the slaw, then place the other bun on top. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- Cod, grouper, mahi mahi, or snapper would be my go-to fish choices here. You could also do something fancier like a halibut or bass, though — or even a salmon filet.
- You could also add thinly sliced celery, provolone cheese, enoki mushrooms, or any other type of antipasti flavors to your slaw.