Our champion Chatham Blue is such a versatile fish, with a delicate flavour and succulent texture that's a hit for young and old alike.

These Chatham Blue sliders are a fan favourite in the Tuanui household, as well as being a regular on the weekend menu rotation. Little Billy, Rocco and Mia all roll up their sleeves to get involved in the hands-on process! 

This recipe is totally customisable for the preferences of you and your tamariki — use store-bought brioche buns if you're short on time, add a touch of sriracha to the mayonnaise for a kick, stir a couple of chopped tangy pickles through the coleslaw, the choice is all yours!

Serves: 4+
Prep time: 30 minutes
Recipe by: The Tuanui household!

INGREDIENTS

Gigi's Brioche Buns
80g butter, softened (plus extra for greasing)
20g white sugar
2 tsp dried instant yeast
80g milk 
150g water
450g baker's flour (plus extra for dusting)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 tbsp sesame seeds


Chatham Blue
200g Chatham Blue fillets
1/4 cup flour
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 eggs, whisked
pinch of salt


Coleslaw 
1/4 cabbage, finely sliced
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 cup of your favourite mayonnaise

METHOD (BRIOCHE BUNS)

1) Grease a mixing bowl and set aside. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
2) Mix sugar, yeast, milk and water together to activate the yeast, and leave for 10 minutes.
3) Add the flour, salt, butter and egg to the mixture and mix until a dough forms.
4) Knead the dough.
5) Transfer the dough to the prepared greased bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel and set it aside in a warm place until it doubles in size (approx. 1 hour).
6) Transfer the dough onto a silicone bread mat or lightly floured non-stick work surface. 
7) Divide the dough into 10 portions (approx. 80 grams each) and shape each portion into a bun shape. 
8) Transfer the buns onto the prepared baking tray, leaving enough space between each bun for it to be able to rise, then cover once again with a kitchen towel and set aside to proof for another 20 minutes. 
9) Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
10) Brush the buns with egg yolk and sprinkle them with sesame seeds.
11) Place a small oven-proof bowl full of water into the bottom of the oven, and then place the baking tray with the buns into the oven and cook for 10 minutes.
12) Remove the water bowl, and continue to bake the buns for a further 10 minutes until cooked and golden brown.
13) Leave on a wire cooling rack while you get to work on the Chatham Blue and filling.

METHOD (COLESLAW)


1) Chop up the veggies
2) Mix through the mayo!


METHOD (CHATHAM BLUE)

1) Cut Chatham Blue into bite-sized pieces (big enough to fill a bun)
2) Place flour and salt, eggs, and panko crumbs into three separate bowls.
3) Time to get the kids involved! 





4) Crumb each Chatham Blue Fillet by placing first into the flour and fully coating, then into the egg, and lastly into the panko crumbs. We have three kids, so we get one in front of each of the three separate bowls to give them all a separate task to get their hands dirty with.

5) Heat oil in a frying pan and cook the Chatham Blue for roughly 3 mins on each side, until golden brown and cooked through (poke with a knife to check – if it’s hard to push through keep cooking until it's soft)




6) It's time to create the sliders! Get the kids to add a spoon of coleslaw, put a cooked Chatham Blue fillet on top and add whatever trimmings they desire.
7) Tuck in, and worry about cleaning up later!