Holiday season should be about relaxing and for me it also represents eating great tasting, relaxed food.  I love the coast, and fishing is a pastime I really enjoy.  The joy of making your own fish fingers is not only that they taste so much better, but you don’t have to be fussy on the variety of fish you use. I used a shop bought mayo and loaded it with extra goodies and threw some peppery leaves in and you will definitely go in for a second.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 fresh rolls, cut in half

600g fish, cut into thick finger sized lengths

1 egg, beaten with a dash of milk

100g flour

300g breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper

Oil for cooking

100g mayo

1 tsp capers

2 gherkins, finely diced

1 lemon, zest and juice

1 tsp chives, dill or parsley, roughly chopped

150g rocky, watercress or salad leaves

Method

Place your beaten egg in a bowl, add the flour and season lightly with salt and pepper and put into a dish suitable for coating the fish.  Do the same with the breadcrumbs and season lightly.

Place on your workbench in the order of flour, egg and breadcrumbs. 

Coat the fish by drenching it in the season flour, shaking off excess, place into the egg mixture and coat well.  Drain and place into the breadcrumbs and press the crumbs firmly onto the fish. Set aside.

Make the tartare sauce by adding the mayonnaise to the a bowl and add the capers, gherkins, lemon zest and herbs (remember just add what you have on hand).  Combine and taste, adjust the flavour and set aside.

Wash the leaves, pat dry.

Pour enough oil into a deep sided heavy base fry pan to coat the base.  Turn the heat to just above medium.

Add the fish fingers and fry until golden on all sides (5-7 minutes), season lightly and squeeze over a little lemon juice before serving.

To assemble; generously spread the tartare sauce over the bottom roll, add enough leaves to cover the base of the roll, place on enough fish finger to satisfy you and the whanau. Add more tartare sauce to the lid of the roll and press lightly onto the fish.

Eat immediately.