Fish + Focaccia Sandwiches with Olive Tapenade, Fennel Slaw + DIll-y Aioli
Our signature fish + focaccia sandwiches were back on the menu this week, and tackling this dinner project was the highlight of my week. It starts with making a pan of homemade focaccia, which has become one of my favorite things to do, and then loading it with panko crusted cod + all sorts of other yummy stuff. The result: Fish + Focaccia Sandwiches with Olive Tapenade, Fennel Slaw + Dill Aioli. It’s a loaded sandwich that we opt to eat open faced (our pro-tip), and with the olives + capers + fennel, it’s a fun new way to dress up a fish sandwich. It’s tangy + savory, and the dill tartar sauce is the perfect punch of fresh herbs. Loaded on fresh focaccia - a hit!
My favorite part about this dinner, and making it, was that it’s a true collab meal. I call in the help of the signature fish guy at home - my husband - and he steps in to help, prep and assemble from start to finish. And that’s the best part of the whole thing. We hang out, put on an episode of the Office in the background, and chef it up to make a dinner we’re both totally obsessed with. And the lesson is that’s a great way to end a Monday.
Foolproof focaccia
This focaccia recipe is seriously fool proof and has been made on repeat at our house. It always comes out soft, fluffy, the perfect crispy top, and it tastest so fresking good. Like so freaking good that it takes a lot of will power to not have an extra piece while I assemble dinner (though we do very much enjoy our the small sample square we allow ourselves). At a minimum, I always top it will some good flaky sea salt, but you can play around and top it with anything you like. We’ve done riffs where we top it with fresh rosemary + garlic, and for Halloween we topped it with olives to create little spiders. The key to success - make sure you use the correct size pan, and you avoid a pan that’s too big. The right size pan means your bread will have the perfect rise + thickness. Go for a standard jelly roll pan - 15x10 inches.
All the toppings!
The 2 major toppings: a olive-caper tepande + a fennel slaw. Both pair so well as sandwich toppings, and they add a fun new twist to a typical fish sandwich. I mean when one was the last time I had green olives paired with fish? It’s a never for me! I saw a recipe that did just that, and I was intrigued. Turns out it’s a total hit, and I was loading my sandwich with extra scoops of this stuff.
Then the fennel slaw - a silent back-up dancer to it all. It’s just really light, and kind of just exists as the fresh + crunchy component. It’s that cold + crispy topping that stands out with all the warm, savory parts, and just keeps it all in balance.
A very dill-y sauce
If your fish isn’t coming with a really good tartar sauce of some kind, you’re doing it wrong. And at are house we love a sauce with lots herbs, particularly dill, mustard, and garlic. So that’s what we put into what we’ve got going on here. My method - be generous with the fresh herbs. Experience has shown you can’t really overdo it. We balance it out with some tangy mustard + low fat mayo (because it tastes the same as the full of fat stuff), and it’s a nice little tartar.
A perfect little sandwich that we will definitely make again!
For the foccaccia
1 3/4 c. warm water (I use hot water from the tap)
1 package active dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
5 c. flour (plus more for kneading)
1 tbsp salt
3/4 c. EVOO
Sea salt to sprinkle on top
For the tartar
1/4 c. mayo
1 tbsp Dijon
3 tbsp fresh dill, minced
1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp onion powder
salt + pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
For the olive-caper tapenade
2 tbsp capers
1 c. green castelvetrano olives, sliced
1 dill pickle, minced
1 tbsp pickling liquid from dill pickels
juice from 1/2 a lemon
2 tbsp EVOO
For the fennal slaw
1 fennel bulb, trimmed + thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, thinly
1 tsp of the juice from the olive tapenade
1 tsp lemon juice
salt + pepper
For the fish sandwiches
2 pieces of cod, cut in filets (essentially 2 servings of cod)
1 egg, whisked
2 tbsp flour, seasoned with salt + pepper
6 tbsp panko
For the focaccia (you want to start this project in the morning!) - Start by filling a glass bowl with the water + sugar, and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let the yeast bloom for 15 minutes. Add the yeast, flour, 1/2 cup of the EVOO + salt to a stand mixer, and knead for about 5 minutes. A solid ball of dough should form. Transfer the dough to a clean, floured surface and knead 2-3times. Clean out the bowl of the stand mixer, and lightly coat it with olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap & let is rise for 3-4 hours. When the first rise is done, add the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil to a jelly pan and place the dough in the pan. Use your fingers to spread out the dough to the edge of the pan. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap + let it rise for at least an hour.
Preheat the oven to 425. Sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of the focaccia dough. Bake for 25-30 minutes - the loaf should be a nice toasty brown color on top.
For the dill tartar sauce - Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl. Whisk together until smooth.
For the olive-caper tapenade - add all of the ingredients for the tapenade to a small bowl. Stir together to loss, Set aside.
For the fennel slaw - Add all of the ingredients to bowl along with a pinch of salt + pepper. Toss to coat the veggies in the sauce. Set in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
For the fish (this is the job I pass along to my husband while I do everything else) - Preheat the oven to 400 + line a baking tray with parchment. Using 3 separate bowls, add the flour, panko, and egg to individual bowls. Dredge each piece of fish in the flour (shaking off any excess), then the egg, and then the panko. Set on the baking tray and baking for 15-17 minutes. The fish should have a nice golden color on the panko + be fully cooked.
To assemble the sandwiches, spread a think layer of the sauce on each side of a focaccia square. Place a piece of fish on top. Top with the olive + caper spread, and then the fennel slaw. Smash it all together, and enjoy.