The Best Seafood Sandwiches You Can Make at Home
There's a reason seafood sandwiches show up on menus everywhere from Maine to the Florida Keys, whether you're at a coastal shack or a waterfront restaurant. Done right, they're quick to make and taste unmistakably like a day at the beach.
Most of them are surprisingly easy to pull off at home, especially when you start with quality fish and shrimp. Here are four classics worth adding to your regular rotation.
The Classic Shrimp Po'Boy
Few sandwiches have the cultural weight of a properly made shrimp po'boy. The key is the shrimp: peel and devein them, pat them completely dry, then dredge in seasoned flour and cornmeal before frying in batches until deeply golden. Don't crowd the pan.
Load them into a toasted hoagie roll with shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced tomato, dill pickles, and a generous spread of remoulade (½ cup mayo, 1 tablespoon Creole mustard, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, and a little horseradish).
The contrast of crispy shrimp against the cool, creamy sauce is what makes this sandwich a classic.
Blackened Mahi Sandwich
If you want something with a little more fire and a lot more flavor, a blackened mahi sandwich delivers every time.
Mahi is firm enough to hold up to a heavy spice crust. Start with coating both sides generously in a blend of smoked paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, salt, and black pepper, then sear in a screaming-hot cast iron pan with a little butter until the crust is dark and the fish is just cooked through.
Pile it onto a toasted kaiser roll with mango salsa or a simple avocado spread and a handful of arugula. If you've been curious about how blackening compares to frying or grilling, our post on blackened vs. fried vs. grilled seafood breaks it all down, but on a sandwich, blackened is hard to beat.
Lobster Roll (Connecticut-Style)
A warm Connecticut-style lobster roll is simpler than it sounds and more satisfying than almost anything else you can put between two pieces of bread.
Gently warm cooked lobster meat in clarified butter with a pinch of salt and a little fresh tarragon or chive, then pile it generously into a toasted, butter-griddled split-top hot dog bun.
That's it.
No mayo, no celery, no filler.
The point is to taste the lobster, and the butter lets it. It's an indulgent sandwich, but for a special occasion or a beach-house dinner with friends, there's nothing that quite matches it.
Fried Fish Sandwich
The fried fish sandwich is one of the most underrated lunches in existence, and it only takes about 20 minutes start to finish. Flounder and grouper are the gold standard for their flaky, mild flesh. If you've ever wondered which fish are worth catching yourself in northeast Florida, flounder is near the top of every local's list. Cut fillets into sandwich-sized portions, season well, and coat in a simple cornmeal or panko crust before pan-frying in a neutral oil until golden. Serve on a toasted brioche bun with coleslaw, American cheese if you're feeling classic, and tartar sauce or a chipotle aioli if you want something with a little more personality.