Fish Burger with Sriracha Mayo
Pouched pollock, flour-dusted and pan-fried, on a bun with quick-pickled squash and hot mayo.
- calories
- 600
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 67
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Campfire coals
- Canister stove
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Pollock or cod fillet | 800 g | cooler on ice; frozen fillets thaw over a day of driving |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 2 tbsp | |
| Paprika | 1/4 tsp | |
| Dried thyme | 1/4 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp | |
| Ground black pepper | 1/4 tsp | |
| Corn oil | 4 tbsp | |
| Green zucchini | 1/2 | |
| White wine vinegar | 1 tbsp | |
| Sugar | 1/2 tsp | |
| Shelf-stable mayonnaise | 2 tbsp | single-serve packets keep without a cooler |
| Sriracha | 1 tbsp | |
| Hamburger buns | 4 | |
| Arugula | about 2 oz | |
| Red onion | 1/2 |
Method
- Shave the zucchini into long ribbons with a peeler. Toss with the vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a cup or bag. Leave it while you cook; turn it once or twice.
- Stir the mayo and sriracha together. Slice the onion thin.
- Cut the fillet off the pin bone line and into four pieces. Toss them in the flour mixed with paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Fry the fish 3-4 minutes a side until it is golden and flakes apart. Move it to a plate and cover it.
- Wipe the pan, then face the buns down in it for a minute to warm and toast.
- Mayo on the bottom bun, arugula, fish, then onion and drained squash ribbons. Lid on, eat now.
This is a car-camp dinner, not a pack dinner. The fish is the reason: white fillets need real cold, so this only works with a cooler and gets cooked the first night out.
The flour dredge is what keeps the fish in one piece. Pollock is lean and falls apart on a hot pan, and the thin coat of seasoned flour gives it a crust to hold onto while it browns. The squash ribbons are a five-minute pickle doing the job lettuce and tomato usually do, and unlike either of them, vinegar and sugar mean they get better sitting in a cup while dinner cooks. Mayo packets are worth seeking out; a jar opened at camp with no fridge is a problem you carry for the rest of the trip.
Dietary tags are left empty on purpose: fish, wheat buns, and egg-based mayo rule out every one of them.
Packing
Flour, paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper go in one small jar at home so the dredge is one pour at camp. Fish stays in the cooler on ice, in a bag, sealed. Mayo packets and sriracha ride in the food bin.
Variations
- No cooler: two 5 oz foil pouches of salmon, warmed in the oil and piled on the bun. Skip the dredge.
- Swap the arugula for shredded cabbage, which survives a cooler far longer.
- Chipotle powder in the mayo instead of sriracha if you want smoke over heat.
https://www.matprat.no/oppskrifter/familien/krydret-fiskeburger-med-chilimajones