Don't ask me how the heck I came up with this - but we originally wanted spaghetti in oil today and I felt it was too hot to stand over the stove and stir. So I decide to play Mc Donald's with the oven on! (sometimes the blond really sinks in too far!)
Years (and years) ago, Mc Donald’s first introduced their fish sandwiches with the lettuce, cheese, and tartar sauce on a hamburger bun. It was just so good. Times change, people change, and Mc Donald’s changed.
A few months ago I stopped for lunch at Mc Donald’s with a friend. We had been out shopping and got hungry and the fish sandwich sounded so good. Too bad it was a “wish” sandwich, instead of a “fish” sandwich.
Sure times change, prices rise, etc. but this was going a bit too far!
If I would have had a camera, I would have take a picture of it. Or should I say - if I had a microscope….. Absolutely NOTHING like the good ol’ days.
First of all - presentation is a big thing when eating. If it doesn’t look good, it’s not going to impress anyone.
My roll looked like it was dipped in grease - very oily. So they didn’t drain the fish well enough when they removed it from the fryer - but the top and bottom of the roll was GREASY! On one side of the sandwich I saw a piece of cheese, just hanging there - half on the roll and half sticking out. On the other side of the roll I see the square of fish sticking out. So I try to pry the crown of the roll of the sandwich and find a square of fish that couldn’t have even been CLOSE to a 2-inch square. It was on half the bun and the half-slice of cheese was on the other half. In the middle was about ½ teaspoon (if there was that much) tartar sauce. So you had 2 bites of fish, 2 bites of cheese, and one bite of tartar sauce. What happened to the square fish patty that used to fill the buns? Disappointing to say the least. Sad part - the fish had absolutely no flavor to it. It just rolled around in your mouth. The only “experience” the taste buds had was the hot grease!
So - needless to say - I now make my own Mc Donald’s filet of fish sandwiches at home.
I went to the restaurant supply house and purchased a case of frozen fish cakes - nice ones that fill a bun. And they have flavor! The babies and their mom like the fish too, so buying a case was fine with me.
I don’t deep fry them either - I just place on a baking tray and drizzle with a bit of oil, turn to “coat” and bake at 350* F. until done. If I want to - I toast my buns. There is a full slice of cheese on mine - not a half slice. And I can add lettuce, tomato, onion, and all the tartar sauce I want! Today I am using a slice of Velveeta.
It’s a hot one today - but these don’t take long in the oven so I don’t mind.
I’m serving my fish sandwiches with a nice fresh salad of lettuce, tomatoes, Vidalia onion, cucumbers, and my homemade vinaigrette.
I also made my MAMA’S CUCUMBER AND ONION SALAD - not the traditional cucumber salad with the sour cream. The best part of this salad is the fact that it will last in the refrigerator for several days. But not around here!
At the market this morning I picked up LARGE cucumbers - over a foot long. Fine with me - I’ve been wishing for my cucumber salad. And 2 for 88 cents - sounds even better.
Start off by combining the ingredients for your brine:
In bowl, combine and whisk to dissolve:
½ cup white vinegar
¼ cup sugar
Add:
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
A good dose of minced parsley (dried can be used)
2 tablespoons water - mix well; set aside.
Of course, I wash the cukes first, but they keep putting that darn wax on them so I have to peel them. No problem - I bought those Titan peelers that were advertised on television and they work great!
I cut the ends off, and then cut off a chunk at the end on the diagonal because I want my cucumber salad to have large slices. The part I cut off just goes into the regular salad I am making - no waste. Making slices of 1/8-inch thick, I worked my way to the other end and left the end chunk for the other salad. I used 1 ½ cukes for my cucumber salad. Usually it’s 2 to 3 cucumbers for the recipe.
Then I thinly sliced a small Vidalia onion and cut the slices in half; placed in bowl with cukes and poured my brine over, stirring well to mix. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours before eating - stirring occasionally.
While baking the fish, I assembled my salad - and we have a simple and good lunch - and I’d win a throw down against McD’s any day!
And as far as the cucumber and onion salad goes - it’s absolutely excellent on sandwiches!!!! Try it!
