It used to be notoriously difficult to cook with American IPA—it was bitter and challenging—but the continuing evolution of this growing family of styles has created new opportunities for compatibility in the kitchen. Meanwhile, the arrival of new, fruit-forward hop varieties—and brewing techniques that amplify their flavors in beer—have provided the equivalent of all-new ingredients for the beer-wielding home cook.
Chicken-Fried Whitefish Sandwich with Sumac Mayo
Culinary sumac is a wild bush with reddish-purple berries found throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. The ripe berries are picked, dried, and ground into a coarse powder. Sumac is tart, tangy, and fruity and a main ingredient in the Middle Eastern spice blend Za’atar. Here, it spices up a mayonnaise for a tasty fish sandwich.
Serves: 2
- 2 cup (473 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (237 ml) cornstarch
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbs iodized salt
- 1 egg
- ½ cup (118 ml) milk
- 2 fl oz (59 ml) hazy-juicy pale ale or IPA
- 2 whitefish pieces (cod, halibut, seabass), about 4 oz (113 g) each
- ½ cup (118 ml) mayonnaise
- 1 tsp ground sumac spice
- 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- Oil for frying
- 2 kaiser rolls, 4–5" (10–13 cm) diameter, split horizontally
- 4–5 leaves Boston (Bibb) lettuce
- 4 slices fresh tomato
- 2 slices red onion