12 Tasty Toppings To Try On Your Next Fried Fish Sandwich

The much-maligned fried fish sandwich is often relegated to the bottom of fast-food menus. While this sandwich of religious origin certainly has its disciples, it is more often the butt of drive-thru jokes around the United States. Why? Does this perfectly approachable vehicle for flavor lack the panache of chicken nuggets? Does it pale in comparison to the mighty quarter-pound cheeseburger? Or has the general public merely grown tired of tartar sauce on panko-breaded pollock? A change, it seems, is needed.

Rise up, champions of the humble fried fish sandwich, for our time is now! This sandwich is primed for a renaissance, and few other food items can possibly compete with its providential properties. Crispy fried fish, the soft tang of pickles in tartar, and a savory layer of rich American cheese on a fluffy white bun — this sandwich has it all. The only thing it's missing is a pop of contemporary flair. That's where we come in. The fried fish sandwich, while perfect in its simplicity, can easily be elevated by introducing exciting new ingredients. Here are 12 tasty toppings to try on your next fried fish sandwich.

1. Kimchi

Tartar sauce, while creamy and decadent, often fails to lift the fried fish sandwich into the upper echelon of flavor explosions it is so obviously built for. The most immediate answer is to toss the tartar and lean into the acidic and fermented properties that make tartar sauce an appealing condiment in the first place. What fills the void? Kimchi.

Kimchi is Korea's gift to the world. Over 3,000 years old, it was originally utilized as a method for circumventing spoilage. Through the magical process of lacto-fermentation, anaerobic bacteria break down sugars into lactic acid, helping to both preserve food and make whatever is being pickled incredibly delicious. Kimchi, traditionally an amalgamation of cabbage, radishes, aromatics, salt, and the ubiquitous gochugaru pepper, is quite possibly the king of all pickled foods. It is immensely tart, savory, and spicy in equal parts, which makes it the perfect companion for a fried fish sandwich.

Utilized as a topping, kimchi's sharp acidity and punchy heat make a great foil for crispy oily fish. The best part about kimchi, besides how easy it is to make, is the myriad of variations it provides to an at-home sandwich architect. Use a younger kimchi to accentuate the crunch of your sandwich, or, if you're feeling brave, allow your kimchi to ferment longer and add a pungent wave of flavor to your fried fish.

2. Salt and vinegar chips

Fried fish sandwiches suffer from a perennial problem that affects all fried items on fast-food chain menus: They become soggy. Countless are the times a long wait in traffic or neglect in a restaurant's kitchen resulted in a flimsy fillet. What was once a promising crunch decrescendos into a deeply disappointing squish. The solution to this snag comes from adding a bit of crunch. Potato chips, a favorite sandwich topping of serial snackers around the globe, are the perfect fix — but we'll take it one step further. Try salt-and-vinegar-flavored chips.

There is arguably no more famous fried fish dish on the planet than British fish and chips. Balloon-like beer batter around a flaky fillet of cod, pillowy potato wedges nestled on the side, all dashed with electrifying malt vinegar — it's a food concept that burst onto the streets of Britain in the 1860s and quickly took the world by storm. It also serves as a playful inspiration for the modern fried fish sandwich.

Adding a heaping handful of salt-and-vinegar chips to your next fried fish sandwich is like an autocorrect for every familiar crux that ails this sandwich form. The crunch factor leaps through the roof and the perfume of vinegar powder wakes up even the sleepiest fried fillet. Go ahead and toss that tartar sauce out while you're at it. These chips do all the heavy lifting.

3. Major Grey's Chutney

While acid is the unifying factor in so many fried food toppings, it rarely strays from being an accent on the final dish. A squeeze of citrus, a drop of vinegar — the task of seasoning a meal with acid, while essential, is often thoughtless. Rarely does our appeal for tartness result in something ... sweet. The balance of sweet, savory, and sour is a narrow tightrope to walk, but if accomplished well, it unlocks new dimensions in the realm of flavor. One easy way to implement this concept on a fried fish sandwich is to include a spread of Major Grey's chutney.

Chutney's origins lie in the Indian subcontinent. Salted tamarind, citrus, honey, and spices serve as the backbone of this ancient condiment. It wasn't until the 1800s that chutney, as a result of British occupation, found its way to Europe and transformed into the smacking, sweet-tart jam that is recognized today as Major Grey's chutney. In many ways tamer than its Indian counterpart, Major Grey's actually serves as a brilliant condiment for a fried fish sandwich.

As Major Grey's chutney is unfathomably sweet, a small slathering goes a long way here. The vinegar-laced acid, the sweetness of raisins, and the savory warmth of spices make it a natural fit for any fried food — and certainly our aforementioned sandwich. For an additional flash of freshness, sprinkle a layer of thinly sliced purple onion on the sandwich as well.

4. Wasabi

Long has the fried fish sandwich been a haven of safety in a world of wild foods. As Western dining careens toward increasingly bolder flavors, our modest sandwich stays planted comfortably in its mild origins. It's time to change that. The fish sandwich is simply a canvas on which we can paint our hopes, our desires, our terrors. In all of these, perhaps, exists wasabi. As Japanese cuisine continues to become global cuisine, this intimidating rhizome is beginning to pop up in increasingly curious places. One place that happens to make perfect sense is atop a fried fish sandwich.

Wasabi as you know it is likely not wasabi at all. The green mash from the tube in the supermarket, the smear of chartreuse at the sushi counter — it's all horseradish. That should not, however, deter you. Sure, if you ever have the opportunity to taste real wasabi, do so. It is surprisingly mild, vegetal, and earthier than its composite counterpart, but the fake stuff is still good. Pleasantly sweet in small amounts and viciously spicy in excess, wasabi is an exciting topping you should be experimenting with.

A light smear of wasabi on your fried fish sandwich bun adds sugar and heat that the combination so desperately needs. A fun tactic for increasing the threat level of this topping is adding mayonnaise to balance the wasabi. Also consider katsu-fried fish for an even crispier sandwich experience.

5. Yuzu kosho

A fried fish sandwich, classic in our cultural consciousness, can function as a safe harbor in the world of gastronomy. Familiarity allows for raucous experimentation without robbing us of what we love about the original. With an immense world of flavors to place on our sandwich, let's experiment. Yuzu kosho, another Japanese condiment that packs impossible flavor into small servings, is one more option to consider for your fried fish sandwich.

Yuzu kosho, a stinging paste of fiery chiles, salt, and fragrant yuzu peel, emerged centuries ago on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, but didn't gain widespread popularity within Japan until much more recently. While several varieties with the same name exist, it's the green stuff that has erupted in popularity. Bearing a striking resemblance to wasabi, it has an equally potent bite with an entirely different attack. While wasabi focuses its fire on the sinuses, yuzu kosho floods the palate with funky fermented spice that lingers for minutes on end. That heat, combined with the tangy and floral flavor of yuzu, make it a fantastic companion to fried seafood.

Similar to wasabi, a small amount goes a long way with yuzu kosho. Mayonnaise is also a formidable foil to what can otherwise be an overwhelmingly spicy condiment, so consider using them in tandem. Successfully harnessing yuzu kosho's flex of funky citrus while reigning in its fire results in a fried fish sandwich that is truly inspired.

6. Pickled plum and shiso

The last in our trio of Japanese condiments, pickled plum and shiso leaf is a time-honored accompaniment to fried fish in Japan and works brilliantly on a Western-style fish sandwich. Also known as umeboshi, pickled plum is extremely salty and packs mouth-puckering tartness — the perfect kind of topping to lift any fried food out of its oil-drenched purgatory.

Known as pickled plum in English, umeboshi actually consists of unripe apricots. Salted and fermented with red shiso leaves, the final product is a small red ball that looks and tastes nothing like the hard green fruit it begins as. While whole umeboshi has been used in traditional dishes throughout Japan's history, it has found a foothold in modern kitchen applications as a paste similar in composition to wasabi. Tempura-fried chicken and fish, wrapped in a green shiso leaf and adorned with a bit of pickled plum paste, are ubiquitous in modern-day Tokyo, from tempura counters to convenience stores. With the flavor continually appearing on common snack items like potato chips and popcorn, it is only a matter of time before pickled plum and shiso migrate to a medium where they're right at home: the fried fish sandwich.

If you happen to have access to fresh shiso leaves, sometimes called perilla in Asian supermarkets, certainly add the velvety herb as a garnish to your sandwich. Even without fresh shiso, a healthy spread of pickled plum paste can add an exciting and exploratory twist to any fried fish sandwich.

7. Chamoy and mango

Fried fish and fruit are not the most common compatriots. Yes, mango salsa can be a fair-weather friend to fish tacos, but it's certainly not an expectation for the medium. A far rarer affair still is to see fruit appear atop a fried fish sandwich. So why a third fruit entry? After chutney and pickled plum, is this one truly necessary? Yes, this one takes the cake: The king of fruit toppings for the fried fish sandwich is chamoy and mango.

Chamoy, a Mexican condiment made from salt-fermented fruits and blended with an array of spices and seasonings, actually finds its parentage in our previous entry, pickled plums. Its origins, however, are where the similarities end. Where pickled plum is salty with a bit of sour, Chamoy runs the gamut of the flavor spectrum. Salty, spicy, sweet, sour, even a little bitter — chamoy is everything in a single bite. Found on fruit, in frozen confections, and even in beer, chamoy does everything and goes everywhere. Most importantly, it should go on your fish sandwich.

Chamoy and mango, a classic combination, fit perfectly between two buns. The spicy brine of chamoy drizzled over mango is such a ride on a flavor rollercoaster, you'll wonder why you never considered it for your fish sandwich before. Just make sure to thinly slice the mango to avoid relegating your fried fish to a mere garnish.

8. Candied jalapeño

Sugar and spice have combative properties that explode like fireworks when employed in unison. Buried under the chile's seething spice is a world of flavors waiting to be explored. Jalapeños, for example, conceal a bouquet of green, vegetal aromas beneath their vexing bite. Topping fried food, they help to alleviate heavy flavors of oil and fat. All they need is a little sweetness.

Also known as cowboy candy, candied jalapeños deliver titanic flavor with mitigated heat. That's because capsaicin, the chemical compound that makes eating chiles such a spicy chore, can be diluted by sugar. In its most scientific form, this practice has led to the development of the Scoville Scale, which is used to measure the heat of all chiles. In the home kitchen, the meticulous details can take a back seat. Simply adding enough sugar to curb the heat of jalapeños to your personal taste is a rewarding science experiment in its own right.

Sugar-coated jalapeños are remarkable atop a salty fried fish sandwich. You can also try getting creative with how you fry your fish here. Trade out the panko bread crumbs for a cornstarch dredge. The tempered vegetal flavor of the jalapeños is just present enough to highlight the subtle bitterness of the cornstarch.

9. Cream cheese and capers

This riff on a lox bagel would surely be shunned by deli workers throughout New York City, but it turns out this delicatessen staple is far more versatile than it's given credit for. Fried fish sandwiches have long suffered under the tyranny of thin, uninspired tartar sauce. This interpretation bolsters the tartar's body and adds an additional punch from briny capers.

Lox has a curious place in our contemporary lexicon. A conflation of two separate food items, it now represents an entire class of cured or smoked fish, usually assumed to be served on a bagel with cream cheese. Its origins are equally hazy: cured fish from Scandinavia, the bagel's forebear from China, and capers seemingly as old as time itself. It wasn't until cream cheese was created in New York near the end of the 1800s that the lox bagel was solidified as a thoroughly American affair. As such, the fried fish sandwich — another fish-forward American institution — can borrow a thing or two from this much-loved New York staple.

If you are tempted to use a bagel for this sandwich, go right ahead, but a classic steamed bun will do just fine here. A smear of plain cream cheese and a dotting of capers is all you need to completely renovate your fried fish sandwich, though sliced onion and tomato are welcome additions as well.

10. Chili crisp

Few condiments have captured our collective cultural attention and refused to let it go quite like chili crisp. Within the latter half of the last decade, it has strong-armed its way onto supermarket shelves across America and continues to grow its footprint as a flavor to be reckoned with. How did this happen? Have we, as a species, discovered the ultimate condiment? People seem to be putting chili crisp on everything, but does it belong on a fried fish sandwich? Why, yes. Yes, it does.

Chili crisp, as a family of condiments, was born in China in 1989 thanks to Tao Huabi. Her brand, Lao Gan Ma, has proceeded to become a global sensation and has recently inspired many imitators. As a result, you've probably seen various products called chili crisp, chili crunch, or any other number of names. Rest assured, they're all essentially the same basic concoction. Dried, ground chiles and garlic in chili oil with a collection of other aromatics are what bind all versions together. While Lao Gan Ma is certainly a gold standard, any will work for fried fish sandwich purposes.

A dollop of crunchy condiment and an extra drizzle of chili oil accents a fried fish sandwich with something like a static on the taste buds. The added oil surprisingly doesn't weigh the sandwich down at all, it only makes it that much richer. A slathering of mayonnaise is the final step to making this a sandwich you won't soon forget.

11. Papaya salad

Cabbage slaws are no stranger to sandwiches. Crunchy and refreshing, coleslaw helps lighten the weight of heavy fillings like barbecue and fried chicken. It doesn't work as well on a fried fish sandwich, however. The light snap and subdued acid of coleslaw tends to get lost, but the sentiment isn't misguided. Papaya salad, with its pungent, acidic flavors, makes a wonderful stand-in for a traditional slaw.

Papaya salad is a staple dish throughout Southeast Asia. Thought to have originated in Laos, it has become an intrinsic part of meals in Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand. Essentially shredded unripe papaya pounded in a mortar with lime, chile, fish sauce, and palm sugar, it is infinitely customizable in both taste and ingredients. It can be obscenely spicy or delicately sweet, tossed with salted crabs or dried shrimp, or even dressed with tomato wedges. The number of possibilities make it a striking and versatile topping for a fried fish sandwich.

A small helping of mayonnaise never hurts a fried fish sandwich and is certainly welcome here, but it's not a necessity. The fresh lime, sugar, and ferocious heat from bird's eye chiles pack mammoth amounts of flavor, while the green papaya strips provide additional crunch. The depth this topping gives completely reimagines what a fried fish sandwich can be.

12. Giardiniera

What sandwich doesn't love a pickle? From giant wedges speared into club sandwiches to cornichons on an open-faced baguette to thinly sliced dill tucked beneath a cheeseburger's sesame bun, pickles have conquered the sandwich world. Even the fried fish sandwich has not been immune. Tartar sauce, nowhere more at home than on a fish sandwich, is simply seasoned mayonnaise and minced pickles. Is there no room left for improvisation in the realm of pickles on fish? Giardiniera might have something to say.

Giardiniera emerged from Italy as many pickled products do — out of necessity. Food preservation pre-refrigeration was largely relegated to fermentation and Italian food culture benefited greatly from it. This pickled collection of chiles, cauliflower, carrots, and celery has long been an antipasto in Italy, appearing at the beginning of the meal to whet the appetites of hungry diners. It migrated to Chicago in the 19th century, where Italian immigrants began using the antipasto as a condiment, translating classics in a different country. The rest, as they say, is history.

While smaller slices of giardiniera work exceptionally well on a fried fish sandwich, consider mincing some and folding them into a remoulade. Rich in color and flavor and brimming with electric acidity, it strikes a similar chord to tartar sauce, but it is an improvement in nearly every way.

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