Mississippi Bahn Mi

Why Mississippi? Because it has catfish. And I just sort of liked the way it sounded.



Justin and I fell in love with bahn mi when we gave it a try a few weeks ago from an STL Food Truck.
Feed Me Bahni Mi food truck has this amazing meatball bahn mi. We wanted to try something really different, and catfish happened to be on sale at Whole Foods this week.

Since bahn mi is already fusion food (French + Viatnamese), this is sort of a fusion-fusion food. Which makes it a lot of fun, in my opinion.



The pickled carrots are the kicker. Tangy, crunchy, and a touch sweet, they really complement the fried fish and homemade french bread.

Ingredients
For the pickled carrots (adapted from David Leibowitz's recipe)
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into matchstick strips (or you can just buy shredded carrots)
1 cup water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp salt
1 bay leaf

For the mayo:
1/4 cup mayo
1 tsp Sriracha
5-6 drops fish sauce
Pinch salt

1 loaf French bread
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 lb catfish fillets
1.5 cups cornflour
Salt + Pepper
2 eggs, scrambled

Procedure

1. Pickle the carrots. Blanch the carrots first, then rinse them in cold water. Return them to the pot and add the pickling ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and allow it to bubble for a couple minutes. Take the liquid off the heat and add the carrots. Let them steep for an hour.
2. Fry the fish: season the corn flour and eggs with salt and pepper. Dip the fish in the eggs, then the flour, then fry them in a little olive oil until they're golden and flaky. 
3. For the mayo: mix all the ingredients.

Split open the French bread and slather the inside with the mayo. Lay down the fish, cover with a layer of cilantro, and sprinkle a few carrots on top.

-Katie