Name: Pan con pejerrey
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 4 small French-style crusty bread rolls, about 80 g each; 600 g cleaned, deboned pejerrey fillets, 12 equal 50 g fish portions; 120 g plain wheat flour, 90 g for batter; 30 g for dusting; 1 large egg, about 50 g without shell; 120 ml cold sparkling water; 180 ml vegetable frying oil, for shallow frying; approximately 45 ml retained; 4 g fine salt, 2 g fish/batter; 2 g salsa; 1 g black pepper; 200 g red onion, very finely sliced; 25 g ají limo, seeded and finely minced; 35 ml lime juice; 15 g fresh coriander leaves, chopped; 15 ml vegetable oil

Pan con pejerrey: fried fish sandwich with salsa criolla

Yield 4 servings

Prep 25 minutes

Cook 15 minutes

Passive 0 minutes

Total 40 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Pan con pejerrey: fried fish sandwich with salsa criolla

Pan con pejerrey is a fish sandwich familiar in Lima and Callao, especially around coastal eating places. The fish is small and needs to be properly cleaned and deboned before it meets hot oil.

A light egg-and-flour batter helps the delicate fish stay together in frying. In the sandwich, fresh salsa criolla brings onion, ají limo, coriander and lime, balancing the crisp fried coating.

The bread should be ready before the frying begins. Once battered fish sits against a wet filling, the crust softens quickly, so build each sandwich and serve it promptly.

Ingredients

Sandwich

4 small French-style crusty bread rolls, about 80 g each
600 g cleaned, deboned pejerrey fillets, 12 equal 50 g fish portions
120 g plain wheat flour, 90 g for batter; 30 g for dusting
1 large egg, about 50 g without shell
120 ml cold sparkling water
180 ml vegetable frying oil, for shallow frying; approximately 45 ml retained
4 g fine salt, 2 g fish/batter; 2 g salsa
1 g black pepper

Salsa criolla

200 g red onion, very finely sliced
25 g ají limo, seeded and finely minced
35 ml lime juice
15 g fresh coriander leaves, chopped
15 ml vegetable oil

Method

Make the salsa criolla.In a clean bowl toss the 200 g thinly sliced onion, 25 g minced ají limo, 35 ml lime juice, 15 g coriander, 15 ml oil and 2 g salt. The onion strands are separated and glossy, with a bright acidic dressing.
Mix the batter.Beat the egg in a shallow bowl with 120 ml cold sparkling water and 90 g of the flour; season with 1 g salt and the black pepper. The batter falls in a thin ribbon without dry flour pockets.
Prepare the fish.Check all 12 pejerrey fillets are free of bones and dry with kitchen paper; add remaining 1 g salt and dust lightly with the remaining 30 g flour. The fish has a thin, even flour coating and no visible pin bones.
Fry in batches.Heat 180 ml frying oil in a deep skillet to about 175 °C. Coat fish in batter and fry in three batches for about 3 minutes each, draining on clean paper; check the thickest fish fillet before serving. The crust is crisp and the fish centre reaches 63 °C.
Assemble while crisp.Split the four bread rolls, distribute three cooked fish fillets in each and top with one quarter of the fresh salsa. The crust remains crisp and the onion dressing has not soaked through the bread.

Practical

Practical guidance

Ask the fish seller for cleaned pejerrey with bones removed. Check every fillet by touch before coating; never assume a small fish is automatically boneless. Keep the batter cold and the oil near 175 °C. A thermometer is more reliable than waiting for a certain shade of gold, especially when several batches cool the oil. Serve immediately; for leftovers refrigerate the cooked fish within two hours at 4 °C or colder for 3–4 days and reheat to 74 °C, but assemble bread and salsa fresh.

Control points

The coating slides off.The fish was wet or not dusted first; dry the fillets well and use the measured 30 g dusting flour.
The fish is greasy.The oil temperature dropped during a crowded batch; fry smaller batches while keeping oil near 175 °C.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size1 fish sandwich with 3 fillets
Calories650 kcal
Carbohydrate66 g
Protein35 g
Fat26 g
Fibre4 g
Sodium650 mg

Allergens and food safety

Contains fish, wheat/gluten and egg. Check bread labels for additional allergens. Buy well-chilled seafood and prevent cross-contact with salsa and bread. Cook fish to 63 °C at the thickest centre. Beware small bones and hot oil splashes.

Closing

Result: Crisp fish in bread with fresh lime-dressed onion.
Decisive control: Drain cooked fish well and assemble just before eating.