Last summer I shared a panzanella recipe and soon received a letter from California. Ely native Mike Murphy, a 1971 graduate of Ely High School, had never heard of a panzanella. The evening after reading the article, he went to an Italian restaurant and happened to notice panzanella on the menu, so he ordered it. He wrote to me to offer his appreciation for introducing him to something new.
We have corresponded since then, and he has been sending me food articles from the San Francisco Chronicle. I have enjoyed seeing what ‘big city’ food columnists write about, and wanted to share a recipe I tried. The sandwich is a filet-o-fish and fish taco fusion, with a Nashville Hot Chicken glaze. I did not have access to all of the listed ingredients, so I included substitutions in the notes section.
San Francisco Fish Sandwich
Ingredients
Fish:
4 skinless cod portions (4 ounces each)
Kosher or table salt for sprinkling
Slaw:
2 cups shredded green cabbage
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup jocoque, labneh, or crema
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
Batter:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 cups beer
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon kosher salt or 1/2 tablespoon table salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
For Frying:
1 1/2 quarts canola or peanut oil
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
For Serving:
4 brioche burger buns
Instructions
Fish:
Place the fish on a rimmed baking sheet. Salt liberally on both sides. Refrigerate uncovered for 30-60 minutes.
Slaw:
In a medium bowl, toss together all ingredients. Cover and chill until serving.
Batter:
Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to fry.
For Frying:
Pour the oil into a large, heavy pot, and heat to 350 degrees F. Meanwhile, rinse the salt from the fish. Pat dry with paper towels and set aside. Add all of the spices to a heat-proof bowl. Using a heat-proof ladle, add about 1/4 cup of hot oil to the bowl with the spices. Whisk until combined and set aside. Whisk the chilled batter to loosen, then dredge each piece of fish in the batter, shaking off excess. Add to the hot oil (in batches of two is easiest). Using tongs and a fish spatula, carefully flip the fish to brown on both sides. Once the batter is browned all over, remove to a platter. Sprinkle lightly with salt, then brush with the spiced oil.
For Serving:
Divide the slaw evenly over the bottom buns. Place the fish over the slaw, then sandwich the top buns over the fish.
Yield: 4 servings.
Notes:
You can use any firm fleshed white fish for this recipe. Serrano peppers are much smaller and spicier than jalapeños. Use one full minced jalapeño in place of the sliced serrano. Jocoque is a creamy, tangy, Mexican dairy product made from fermented milk. Labneh is a Middle Eastern strained yogurt. Crema is a creamy Mexican dairy product that tastes similar to slightly thickened heavy cream. Sour cream or Greek yogurt can be substituted for any of the aforementioned dairy products. This recipe was adapted from the “Spicy Fried Fish Sandwich” recipe by Octavio Peña in the San Francisco Chronicle (July 19, 2026).
