Nashville Hot Halibut Sandwich Food

CHEF JOHN'S NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN

Steps:

• Toss chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Transfer chicken to a bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Whisk buttermilk, pickle brine, hot sauce, and egg together in a mixing bowl. Pour marinade over chicken and stir to ensure each piece is thoroughly coated. Cover and let chicken marinate in refrigerator 2 to 4 hours.
• Mix flour and salt together in a shallow flat dish. Remove chicken from marinade and blot with paper towels. Reserve marinade. Toss chicken in flour until thoroughly coated. Return chicken to marinade, coating all sides; remove chicken from marinade allowing excess to drip back into the bowl. Coat the chicken once again in flour mixture. Place on a rack. Repeat with all chicken pieces. Allow to sit out about 15 minutes to allow coating to dry out a bit.
• Place butter and lard in a large pot. Add cayenne pepper, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Place over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until fats melt. Remove from heat; keep sauce warm.
• Fill cast iron skillet about 1/3 of the way with vegetable oil. Heat oil to 350 degrees F over medium-high heat. Carefully place chicken into hot oil, skin side down. Maintain an oil temperature of 325 degrees F, adjusting heat as need. Fry until instant read thermometer reads 160 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes per side.
• Transfer chicken to a rack to drain. Brush with the sauce on both sides.

NASHVILLE HOT HALIBUT SANDWICH

Steps:

• In a large pot over high heat, combine 1 cup (240 ml) of the canola oil and the Scotch bonnet, bird's eye, and jalapeño chiles and cook until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 350°F (175°C). Turn off the heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Working in 2 batches, pour into a blender and blend until smooth. Pass through a fine chinois or strainer into a medium pot. Heat again, then add the butter, cayenne, and paprika and stir with a whisk. Set aside and keep warm.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat the remaining 4 cups (800 ml) canola oil over medium-low heat to 320°F (160°C).
• Mix the flour and salt in a medium bowl, whisk the eggs in another medium bowl, and put the panko in a third medium bowl. Dust a piece of fish in the flour, then dip in the eggs, then coat in the panko. Place on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining halibut.
• Once the oil has come up to temperature, use a spider to carefully lower 2 pieces of the breaded halibut into the oil. Cook until golden and the internal temperature is 275°F (135°C), 4 to 6 minutes. Scoop out the fish and rest on a baking sheet with a rack set on it. Repeat with the remaining halibut and spoon the hot chile oil over it until the fish is covered and glossy.
• Build your sandwiches: Lay out the bottom bread, mayo, then pickles, the halibut, followed by the cheese and onion slices. Slather mayo on the top bread and squish the sando down.

NASHVILLE-STYLE HOT CHICKEN SANDWICH

Steps:

• In a large heat-resistant bowl, whisk together the cayenne, brown sugar, chile powder, granulated garlic, paprika, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Sprinkle the spice mixture on all sides of the chicken. Transfer the chicken to a container and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours. Leave the remaining spice mixture in the bowl.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil registers 350 degrees F. Position a wire rack on a baking sheet.
• Whisk together the buttermilk, hot sauce and eggs in a shallow bowl. Put the flour in a second bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dunk the chicken first in the buttermilk mixture, then dredge in the seasoned flour and coat thoroughly. Gently drop the chicken into the oil, in batches if necessary, and fry until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken to the wire rack.
• Carefully add about 1 large ladleful (6 to 8 ounces) of the frying oil to the reserved spice mixture to let it bloom. Be careful, as it will bubble aggressively. Whisk until smooth. Brush the fried chicken with the bloomed spiced oil as desired.
• For the sandwich build: Meanwhile, halve the Hawaiian rolls, spread with butter and toast on a griddle. Put the hot chicken on the griddled buns, top with pickles, lettuce and a schmear of mayo.

NASHVILLE HOT HALIBUT SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preparation In a large pot over high heat, combine 1 cup (240 ml) of the canola oil and the Scotch bonnet, bird's eye, and jalapeño chiles and cook until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 350°F (175°C). Turn off the heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Working in 2 batches, pour into a blender and blend until smooth. Pass through a fine chinois or strainer into a medium pot. Heat again, then add the butter, cayenne, and paprika and stir with a whisk. Set aside and keep warm. In a large Dutch oven, heat the remaining 4 cups (800 ml) canola oil over medium-low heat to 320°F (160°C). Mix the flour and salt in a medium bowl, whisk the eggs in another medium bowl, and put the panko in a third medium bowl. Dust a piece of fish in the flour, then dip in the eggs, then coat in the panko. Place on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining halibut. Once the oil has come up to temperature, use a spider to carefully lower 2 pieces of the breaded halibut into the oil. Cook until golden and the internal temperature is 275°F (135°C), 4 to 6 minutes. Scoop out the fish and rest on a baking sheet with a rack set on it. Repeat with the remaining halibut and spoon the hot chile oil over it until the fish is covered and glossy. Build your sandwiches: Lay out the bottom bread, mayo, then pickles, the halibut, followed by the cheese and onion slices. Slather mayo on the top bread and squish the sando down. Excerpted from Matty Matheson: Home Style Cookery by Matty Matheson, copyright © 2020. Published by Harry N. Abrams. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.