Malaysian-style fried fish sandwich

Crispy coconut-crusted cod with spicy sambal mayo and crunchy toppings with perfectly seasoned fries. While it requires some effort and about an hour to prepare its sure to impress with its bold flavours and varied textures.

Preparation time
1-2 hours

Cooking time
30 mins to 1 hour

Serves
Serves 4

Dietary
Vegetarian

Saturday Kitchen Recipes - Julie Lin

By Julie Lin
From Saturday Kitchen

Nutri-score D

This dish has a less healthy nutritional profile due to its high fat content from frying and calorie-dense ingredients. While it provides protein from fish and some nutrients from vegetables, the overall composition is high in calories and saturated fats. (nutri-score)

Ingredients

For the salt and chilli fries:

  • Russet potatoes: 4 large, peeled and sliced with a crinkle cutter
  • Spring onions: 2–3, thinly sliced
  • Red chilies: 1–2, thinly sliced
  • Vegetable oil: for frying

For the fish:

  • Cod fillets: 4 thick
  • Free-range eggs: 3, beaten
  • Plain flour: 200g/7oz
  • Desiccated coconut: 100g/3½oz
  • Sweet potato starch (or cornflour): 100g/3½oz
  • Turmeric: 3 tsp
  • Oil: for frying
  • Salt: to taste

For the salt and chilli fries seasoning:

  • Salt: 3 tbsp
  • Caster sugar: 1 ½ tbsp
  • MSG (monosodium glutamate): 1 ½ tbsp
  • Chinese 5 spice powder: 1 ½ tbsp
  • Garlic powder: 1 ½ tbsp
  • Onion salt: 1 ½ tsp
  • Ancho chilli flakes: 1 ½ tsp
  • Red chilli flakes: 1 ½ tsp

To serve:

  • Milk buns: 4, halved
  • Sambal paste: 7 tbsp
  • Mayonnaise: 3 tbsp
  • Cucumber: 12 slices
  • Crispy fried shallots: 3 tbsp
  • Roasted peanuts: 3 tbsp

Method

Prepare the salt and chilli fries

  • Soak sliced potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain and dry thoroughly.
  • Heat oil to 160C and fry potatoes in batches for 3-4 minutes until softened.
  • Increase oil temperature to 190C and fry again until golden and crispy.
  • Toss hot fries in the prepared seasoning mix.
  • Top with sliced spring onions and chilies.

Prepare the fish

  • Pat cod fillets dry and season with salt.
  • Set up three bowls: one with flour, one with beaten eggs, and one with a mixture of coconut, starch, turmeric, and salt.
  • Coat each fillet in flour, then egg, then the coconut mixture.
  • Fry coated fillets in hot oil for 3-4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through (internal temperature 63ºC/145°F).

Assemble the burgers

  • Mix 3 tbsp sambal paste with mayonnaise.
  • Lightly toast the milk buns.
  • Spread sambal mayo on the bottom bun, add the fish fillet, more sambal, cucumber slices, crispy shallots, and chopped peanuts.
  • Top with the other half of the bun.

Serve

  • Plate the burger alongside the salt and chilli fries.

Nutri-score Health Check

This recipe receives a Nutri-score of D, indicating it’s less healthy. Here’s a breakdown of the nutritional aspects:

  • Positive factors: Protein from fish, some vitamins and minerals from vegetables and spices.
  • Negative factors: High fat content from frying both fish and potatoes, added sugars in the seasoning, high sodium content, and refined carbohydrates from the buns.

While the dish offers some nutritional benefits from the fish and vegetables, the cooking method and additional ingredients significantly increase its calorie and fat content. To improve the health profile, consider baking the fish and potatoes instead of frying, using whole grain buns, and reducing the amount of added sugar and salt in the seasoning. Adding more vegetables to the burger or as a side dish could also enhance the overall nutritional balance of the meal.

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