Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine on a Roll
My friend Robert Irvine wondered what kind of sandwich would remind us of him? So- heading to the kitchen we came up with something that reminds us of Robert. Since he is a Brit, the first thing that came to mind was fish and chips – but putting it into a sandwich. Robert is a bit cheeky, and there is nothing better than good Alaskan Halibut for the fish- so halibut cheeks were the answer.
Brits, and Robert, love their beer – so a beer batter, but a bit less traditional than most. For this recipe we used an oatmeal stout.
Traditional tartar sauce might be a bit much, so instead we modified a cold slaw recipe to act as a texture and flavor element. This has less calories, and provides some healthy vegetables for the food. We put this all together- and came up with the “Robert Irvine Sandwich” – like him, it is healthy, muscular, cheeky, British.
Beer-Batter Halibut Sandwich
First the Cold Slaw: This is a version of an Eastern Northern Carolina Cold Slaw that is used with pulled pork. We modified it a bit to go with halibut and to take the flavor and texture that tartar sauce provides, but with a healthier spin.
1 head of cabbage – grated
2 carrots – grated
1 radicchio grated
Mix the vegetables together
The dressing:
1.5 cups of low-fat Mayo
1/3 cup of sugar
1 Tablespoon celery seeds
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
-mix together- and then add salt and pepper to taste. Mix with the vegetables and then put in the refrigerator.
Health Note: Some have used low-fat yogurt or yogurt instead of Mayo, but you lose the mouth feel of the slaw. Low-fat mayo works better, saving over 700 calories!
Beer Batter:
1 cup of a healthy oatmeal Stout (British of course)
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 1/2 T of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning
This presents a thick batter, which is my preference for using in a deep-fat fryer. If you are going to fry this in a fry pan then you will need to thin the batter by using more beer.
Halibut Cheeks
You can also use the fillet of halibut, or even cod for this. I like the cheeks because they are meaty like Robert.
If you use a fillet, remove the skin from the halibut or cod.
Rinse and pat them dry.
Dredge them in flour or corn starch.
Apply the batter. If you use thicker, like I prefer, you can almost coat them like frosting, on three of the four sides. The side you put into the basket you leave “naked.” If you use a frying pan and use a thinner batter then you coat them on all sides.
Deep Fat Fryer to 375 degrees F. I use Peanut oil in the frier. If I use a fry pan then I use grape seed oil (Robert’s favorite). Carefully place them in.
Remove in 2-3 minutes when they are golden crisp and let them sit in the basket and drain the oil.
Assemble:
use a great bread – I like a fine French roll.
Slaw, Halibut, Parmesan cheese, and more slaw.
Eat: it’s a mouthful — ummm (ok, I won’t say it but you know what I would say)
My wife, April, enjoying the Robert Irvine Sandwich
