Take the humble, classic fish finger sandwich to a whole new level with this recipe. By new level, I mean skyscraper level! A toasted, soft brioche bun, chunky fish fingers, crispy green salad, creamy avocado and the pièce de résistance, a homemade tartar sauce that is out of this world!
The ultimate fish finger sandwich may take a little more effort than just slapping a few fish fingers between two slices of buttered bread, but, it's worth it. However, it won't take you any longer than it takes for the fish fingers to cook.
You can also make these fish goujons in place of fish fingers. Or, if you're looking for another great lunchtime sandwich, try these Portuguese Prego steak rolls.
What's to love about this recipe
- The ultimate comfort lunch
- Fish finger butties don't need to be relegated to 'simple food', this is one posh sandwich!
- Fresh, fragrant and filling
- Quick and easy to make
- Popular with kids
- At least two of your 'five a day' in one sandwich
Jump to:
Key ingredient notes and substitutions
Mayonnaise - For best results, use a good quality full cream mayo. If you'd prefer, you can of course use a light mayo, or even crème fraiche for a very low calorie tartar sauce.
Gherkins - Also known as 'pickled cucumbers' in the US and some other countries. Both are baby cucumbers pickled in brine or vinegar and can be found in most supermarkets.
Brioche bread rolls - Brioche is perfect for this sandwich because it's soft and has a slight sweetness that goes really well with the sharp tartar sauce. You can use any bread rolls of your choosing though.
Little gem lettuce - We prefer using gem lettuce because they are so sweet, crispy and the perfect size to fit onto a bread roll without having to tear into the leaves. You can use any lettuce of your choosing, like Romaine, which is basically mature gem lettuce.
Fish fingers - Use your favourite fish fingers. We like the chunky tempura fishfingers which have a crispy coating rather than breadcrumbs. If you're in the UK, try 'Young's Gastro tempura fish fingers'. They are a good size and so crispy when oven baked for 16 minutes at 220C.
Alternatively, you can make your own fish fingers, or use these crispy fish goujons for something a little more solid and meaty.
Herbs and spices - Usually substituting fresh herbs for dry herbs can work in most sauces, but I would urge you to get fresh herbs. It makes all the difference in the tartar sauce.
Fresh dill would be used twice in this recipe, once in the tartar sauce and then to layer some fresh sprigs onto the sandwich itself. You will also need parsley, chives and black pepper.
Avocados - You will need two medium sized ripe avos, one half per sandwich.
How to make the sandwiches
Cook the fish fingers:
- Cook the fish fingers according to the package instructions. Whilst the fish fingers are cooking, you can start on the tartar sauce and other prep.
The tartar sauce:
- Chop the gherkins, dill, parsley and chives and mix it in with the mayo, lemon juice, sugar and ground black pepper.
Prep the bread rolls:
- Slice the bread rolls horizontally and toast the cut sides in a medium-hot frying pan until light golden and toasty. No need to butter them.
Prep the avo:
- Half the avocados and remove the seed. Slide a spoon in between the skin and the flesh of the avocado to easily and neatly separate the flesh. Slice each half avo into thin slices.
Assemble the sandwiches:
Layer the sandwiches as follow:
- Lettuce leaves
- Tartar sauce
- Fish fingers
- More tartar sauce
- Avocado slices
- Fresh dill
- More lettuce
- Top bread roll half
Serving suggestions
- Shoestring fries
- Chunky chips
- Wedges
- Rice salad
- Panzanella Toscana salad
- Pea fritters
FAQ
Yes, fish finger sandwiches are very much a British invention since the 1950s. It was an attempt to make eating fish more appealing to the masses. It seems to have worked because these sandwiches are now popular right across the globe.
This will very much depend on the ingredients you use. Making your own sauce, using a generous amount of fresh veggies and baking the fish fingers instead of frying will produce a healthier version. Serve with a salad instead of chips/fries.
You can try aioli, plain mayo, sweet chilli, ketchup, chutney or honey mustard.
More lunch recipes
Recipe
The ultimate fish finger sandwich with chunky homemade tartar sauce
Ingredients
For the tartar sauce
- 100 grams mayonnaise
- 70 grams gherkins - otherwise known as 'pickled cucumber'. Finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons dill - chopped
- 2 teaspoons flat-leaf parsley - chopped
- 1 tablespoon chives - chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 0.5 teaspoon sugar
- few good grinds black pepper
For the fish finger sandwiches
- 4 Brioche bread rolls
- 1 head little gem lettuce
- 12 fish fingers
- 2 avocados
- few sprigs fresh dill
Instructions
Cook the fish fingers
- Cook the fish fingers according to the package instructions
Make the tartar sauce
- Chop the gherkins, dill, parsley and chives finely. Add it together with the mayonnaise, lemon juice, sugar and black pepper and mix together
Slice the avo
- Half each avocado and remove the seed. Slide a spoon between the avocado flesh and the skin to separate the flesh from the skin. Slice each half into thin slices
Prep the brioche bread rolls
- Slice the brioche bread rolls in half horizontally. Place a large frying pan over medium to high heat and toast the cut sides of each bread roll until light golden and crispy
Assemble the sandwiches
- Start by placing a layer of lettuce on the bottom half of each bread roll
- Spoon over the tartar sauce
- Place three fish fingers on top of the sauce
- Add more tartar sauce
- Top the fish fingers with the avocado slices
- Place a few sprigs of fresh dill on top of the avocado
- Place another layer of gem lettuce leaves as the final touch. Finish it off with the top half of each bread roll
- Serve immediately with a side of shoestring fries, chips, potato salad or a green salad
**Nutritional data disclaimer**
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is calculated by a third party and we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We try our best to give you the most accurate information, but we do not take responsibility for errors that may be present. Also, the nutritional value of the recipe may change depending on the exact brands and products used. We recommend that you consult with a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian for personalised advice on your dietary needs.
Nutrition
For food safety advice, including guidance on food allergies
Leave a Reply