Mar 6, 2011 By J.M. Hirsch Ap Food Editor 3 min read

For about a year now I’ve been trying to find a good way to infuse my basic baked “fried” haddock with the taste of Thai red curry paste.

And the solution has repeatedly escaped me. Until now.

My haddock couldn’t be simpler. I whisk eggs, mayo and mustard in one shallow bowl, and fill a second with panko breadcrumbs. I then dredge haddock fillets through the egg mixture, then through the panko, then bake them on a sheet in the oven.

That’s it. And they’re delicious.

But I’d wanted to add the gentle yet complex spicy heat of red curry paste. I’d always focused on adding the curry paste to the egg mixture, but no matter how much I added I never was able to taste it. Ditto when I added it to my breadcrumb mixture (a messy proposal).

I’d basically given up. Then it occurred to me. I was putting the curry paste in the wrong place. Instead of adding it to the coating, I removed the mayo from the coating, whipped it with the curry paste, then slathered that on a bun, added the fish and called it a day.

It was marvelous. Finally, haddock and Thai red curry paste together.

FRIED HADDOCK SANDWICH WITH

THAI RED CURRY MAYONNAISE

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

2 eggs

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs

1 pound haddock fillets, divided into 4 pieces

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste

8 large Boston or bibb lettuce leaves

4 hamburger buns

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the oven to 400 F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and mustard. In a second wide, shallow bowl, place the breadcrumbs.

Season the haddock with salt and pepper. Dredge each piece of haddock first through the egg mixture, then through the breadcrumbs. Ensure the breadcrumbs evenly coat the fillets, patting them on as needed. Arrange the fillets on the prepared baking sheet, then bake until they flake easily, about 10 minutes.

While the haddock cooks, in a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise and curry paste.

Slather a quarter of the mayonnaise mixture over the bottom half of each bun, then top with 2 lettuce leaves. Set the haddock over it the lettuce. Serve immediately.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 369 calories; 92 calories from fat (25 percent of total calories); 10 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 176 mg cholesterol; 37 g carbohydrate; 31 g protein; 2 g fiber; 626 mg sodium.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Food Editor J.M. Hirsch is author of the cookbook “High Flavor, Low Labor: Reinventing Weeknight Cooking.” He can be e-mailed at jhirsch@ap.org.