Banh Mi Recipe: Insane Vietnamese Fish Sandwich!
My buddy, Brian, came back from an Alaskan fishing trip with some tasty Alaskan King Salmon and Halibut. He had plenty of fishing stories, plus he shared some halibut and salmon with me. Since I knew I this fish was special I put together one of my favorite sandwiches, a traditional Vietnamese fish banh mi recipe.
Port Alexander's The Laughing Raven fish lodge. Brian loved it!
The Vietnamese banh mi sandwich is world famous. It's a blend of French and Vietnamese cooking that creates this special street food sandwich. It can be made with beef, pork, fish or chicken. Here's an easy Banh Mi recipe that uses Brian's fresh catch from Alaska!
For more sandwiches from Fisherman's Belly, check out our Fish Sandwich Recipe section.
Here's Brian's write up on his trip...
Call Me Lucky! by Brian Fagan
I was lucky enough to be invited on a fish trip of a lifetime, and it was to an all-inclusive fishing lodge in Alaska. We flew into Sitka and took a 45 minute bush plane south to the remote island of Port Alexander. Waiting for us there, were our hosts, from the Laughing Raven Lodge. So this gorgeous lodge only hosts 8 guests at a time. Plus, our cabin rooms only hold 2 guest each.
Now, the Laughing Raven Lodge specializes in making sure you catch salmon, halibut, or multiple species of rock fish. And, did I mention they pamper the hell of out of you. Each meal is ridiculously fabulous. Besides that, their chef also packed us a picnic lunch for the day's fishing activities.
The First Day...
Our first day we arose at 6:30 to a huge hot breakfast with all the trimmings. Then we took a 5 minute walk to the dock to meet our boat and captain. With 4 anglers to a boat, we headed out with high expectations. After a 20 minute ride we stopped to fish king salmon. Since this spot was good the previous day. After soaking my bait for 3 minutes my rod goes bendo and for the next 3 hours we all caught limits of kings and cohos. The kings went to 35 pounds and Although the cohos averaged right around 8-12 pounds each, the kings averaged 35 pounds each. Now that's crazy good fishing.
Brian's Alaskan king salmon.
So, after lunch on the water, the captain says, “let’s go for some halibut”. After a short 20 minute ride to his favorite halibut spot, we drop a salmon head down 200 feet. Well, about 10 minutes later, we all take turns going bendo with what they refer to in Alaska as “chickens”. A chicken is a halibut in the 15 to 40 pound range. I swear to you, each and every drop we caught “chickens” till our arms hurt. Then my friend Ed hooks into a bigger model. 20 minutes later he has a 150 pound halibut up next to the boat. Because of crazy size restrictions in Alaska, we release this fish to be caught another day.
Brian and his Alaskan halibut.
Days 2 through 4 were a repeat performance of day 1. With insane fishing, wonderful scenery, pampered like kings, and incredible food. Oh ya, I brought home over 100 pounds of salmon, halibut and all types of rockfish for friends like Yanni to enjoy. Truly a trip of a lifetime! Call me lucky, Brian
Banh Mi Recipe With Halibut & Salmon (makes 4 sandwiches)
1/2 pound halibut, filleted, cut into 1” cubes
1/2 pound salmon, filleted, cut into 1” cubes
3 large carrots, cut into 4” sticks
1 large diakon radish, cut into 4” sticks
Hand full of bean sprouts
1 bundle Asian basil
1 bundle Asian mint
½ cup of white vinegar
½ tablespoon salt
1 ½ tablespoon of sugar
Mayonnaise
Butter
1 baguette cut into four pieces
½ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons hot sauce
3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Making The Banh Mi Recipe
1. Start by marinading the fish by placing the halibut and salmon cubes into a plastic bag. Next start pouring in the soy sauce and hot sauce, then set aside.
2. Now begin creating the pickling juice by mixing the vinegar, salt and sugar. Next place the carrots, diakon and bean sprouts in a separate bowl while pouring the pickling juice over the vegetables and again, set aside.
3. Next heat a frying pan then add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil. Now fry only small batches of fish at a time until all the fish is cooked. Remember to be careful and not overcook the fish.
4. Cut the baguettes length wise and then toast them baguette under the broiler. Again, be careful not to burn the bread.
5. In the mean while, using your hands, strip off the mint and basil leafs in a separate bowl.
6. Begin assembling the Binh Mi sandwich by lathering the top slice of the bread with mayonnaise and the bottom with butter. Next, lay the pickled vegetables on the bottom slice, then the fish cubes. Then, top the fish with mint and basil leafs. Finally add the buttered top half of the baguette and serve.
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KITCHEN GADGETS & INGREDIENTS FOR THIS RECIPE 🌶
➤ 12-inch Chef's Knife
http://amzn.to/2CnQuyw ➤ Wusthof Pro Cook’s Knife 12-inch
http://amzn.to/2CCoOGg ➤ Bread Cutting Serrated Culinary 10-inch Knife http://amzn.to/2CVOsKp ➤ 24" Round Hard Wood Cutting Board
http://amzn.to/2Cxmvo6 ➤ Kikkoman Soy Sauce 33.8-oz
http://amzn.to/2CXEwwJ ➤ Pro Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set of 6
http://amzn.to/2CNr3H7 ➤ Pyrex 1-cup & 2-cup Measuring Cups
http://amzn.to/2AhJf9z ➤ Teflon Platinum Safe Coating Frying Pan 12-inch http://amzn.to/2CXMuIQ
PHOTOGRAPHY EQUIPMENT USED 🎥 ➤ Canon EOS 70D Food Photography & Video https://amzn.to/2Ib1yGF ➤ GoPro HERO4 Black
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