Take a reuben sandwich to the next level with this unique twist. My Wild Cod Fish Reuben Sandwich swaps delicious and healthy white fish for the corned beef. Stack it on rye bread with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and homemade Russian dressing. It’s crisped up to crunchy goodness. This Irish inspired sandwich is SO DELICIOUS!
Welcome to March and all things St. Patrick’s Day. With an Irish husband, the whole month is a green infused celebration.
I’ll be making holiday favorites ~ Irish soda bread, this fun reuben casserole, and a pan of decadent mint brownies. I’m excited to share my latest Irish inspired recipe. A trip to Florida to escape the blustery winter of the Jersey shore sparked my creation of a Wild Cod Fish Reuben Sandwich.
wild cod fish reuben
A couple weeks ago, the warm temps of Florida was the perfect respite from our deary weather. We spent lots of time lounging on beach and always stopped by the beachside restaurant to grab lunch. They serve an amazing grouper fish reuben sandwich. I knew I had to recreate the sandwich back home and relive some of that Florida fun and delicious food.
With the buttery toasted rye bread overstuffed with perfectly seasoned fish, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and creamy tart Russian dressing, I found my new favorite reuben sandwich.
I’m so excited to share this fish sandwich recipe with all of you!
gather the ingredients
- wild cod
- olive oil
- Old Bay seasoning
- mayonnaise
- ketchup
- sweet pickle relish
- horseradish
- rye bread
- salted butter
- sauerkraut
- Swiss cheese
Check the recipe card below for the quantities of each ingredient.
substitutions and additions
- Almost any fish can stand in for the wild cod. Try grouper, mahi mahi, salmon, halibut or haddock.
- There’s many varieties of rye bread. Each is delicious. Experiment with caraway seeded, unseeded, marble (a combo of light and dark rye) and pumpernickel.
- Freshly grated cheese is my go to in recipes. It melts the best. But you can substitute deli sliced cheese too.
- Swiss is the traditional cheese used in a reuben. Some substitutes are also tasty. Try mozzarella, Gruyere, Munster
the recipe details
It all starts with the fish. Get the freshest cod available. Drizzle it with olive oil and generously sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning.
With its mixture of celery salt, garlic, paprika, cayenne pepper and dry mustard, it’s my go to spice blend for seafood. Bake the cod until just cooked through. Keep a digital thermometer handy. A reading of 145 degrees F is what you’re after.
While the fish is in the oven, make a quick homemade Russian dressing. It literally takes 30 seconds to make. A store bought one works too. There’s some great ones available. Mine includes mayonnaise, ketchup, sweet pickle relish and horseradish.
Now’s the fun part of assembling the sandwiches. Butter one side of a couple slices of rye bread. With or without caraway seeds. Whatever is your fave. Slather on the Russian dressing and top with the tender cooked cod.
Next add the sour and salty sauerkraut and a heaping handful of grated Swiss cheese. Slices of cheese work too, but freshly grated cheese seems to melt to a gooey goodness. Top with another slice of buttered rye.
Time to get the fish sandwich all toasty. I love my panini press as there’s no need to flip the sandwich. But a cast iron skillet or large sauté pan are good alternatives.
After a few minutes this big, messy and delicious reuben sandwich is ready to eat. If you’re a sandwich dipper like me, serve it with the extra Russian dressing.
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FAQ and expert tips
- There’s some cooking liquid after the cod comes out of the oven. Drain as much off so it doesn’t make for a soggy sandwich.
- Ditto for the sauerkraut. Drain off the liquid that it’s packed in.
- The buttery crispy rye is so delicious. I love my panini press to toast both sides of the sandwich at once. A cast iron skillet or large sauté pan are great stand-ins for achieving that golden brown crusted reuben sandwich.
just one more thing
Did you make these fun and delicious wild cod fish reuben sandwich recipe? I’d love hearing from you if you did! Be sure to leave a comment. Or give this recipe a rating. I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I’ll add the photos to my Insta stories. I love seeing all your creations.
Also check out my Facebook and Pinterest pages for lots of fabulous foodie stories, videos, cooking tips, and recipes. Sign up for my newsletter and never miss one of my new recipes.
more fish recipes I love
Baked Shrimp with Feta and Tomatoes
Blackened Tuna Bites with Sweet Pickle Dipping Sauce
Baked Cod with Crispy Garlic Panko
Wild Cod Fish Reuben Sandwich with 30 Second Russian Dressing
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
Take a reuben sandwich to the next level with this unique twist. My Wild Cod Fish Reuben Sandwich swaps delicious and healthy white fish for corned beef. Stack it on rye bread with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and homemade Russian dressing. It’s crisped up to crunchy goodness. This Irish inspired sandwich is SO DELICIOUS!
Ingredients
- 2 pieces of cod, about 6 ounces each
- olive oil
- Old Bay seasoning
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon horseradish
- 4 slices rye bread
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 cup sauerkraut, drained
- 4 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the cod on the sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with Old Bay seasoning.
- Bake the cod for 12 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 145 degrees F on a digital thermometer.
- While the fish is baking, make the Russian dressing. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, sweet pickle relish and horseradish. Set aside.
- Remove the fish from the oven. Set aside.
- Butter one side of each of the slices of bread. Place 2 slices buttered side down on a cutting board. Generously spread some of the Russian dressing on bread. Place a piece of fish on top of each slice of bread. Top the fish with sauerkraut, some of the Swiss cheese, and the remaining slices of bread, butter side up.
- Heat a cast iron skillet, large sauté pan or a panini press. Cook the sandwiches for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until the cheese is melted and the bread is crispy and golden brown.
- Remove the sandwiches from the pan, cut in half and serve with the remainder of the Russian dressing.
Notes
Almost any fish can stand in for the wild cod. Try grouper, mahi mahi, salmon, halibut or haddock.
There’s some cooking liquid after the cod comes out of the oven. Drain as much off so it doesn’t make for a soggy sandwich.
Ditto for the sauerkraut. Drain off the liquid that it’s packed in.
The buttery crispy rye is so delicious. I love my panini press to toast both sides of the sandwich at once. A cast iron skillet or large sauté pan are great stand-ins for achieving that golden brown crusted reuben sandwich.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: entrée
- Method: cook on stove top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 1138 mg
- Fat: 33 g
- Saturated Fat: 18.4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20.7 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 36.3 g
- Cholesterol: 167 mg
Keywords: fish reuben, reuben sandwich, St. Patrick’s Day recipe, sandwich recipe
What a fun and tasty treat on a Reuben sandwich. I love the homemade Russian dressing too. So much better than store bought.
★★★★★
Thank you Gloria. I love this recipe too.
My husband is a Reuben fanatic and we all love cod, so this recipe was a match made in heaven for us. We really enjoyed it and the Russian dressing was so easy to make!
★★★★★
We love Reubens in our house too! This version is our new favorite. I’m so glad you enjoyed my recipe.
What a fantastic twist on a reuben sandwich! Using cod is such a delicious idea, and I’m sooo making this next time I have any fish in the house!
★★★★★
That’s great Anna!
I always make my Reuben sandwiches with corned beef but am such a fish fan that I had to try this. The cod was so, so good! Thanks for such a fun twist one of my favorites. Great for St. Patrick’s Day.
★★★★★
You’re welcome Amanda!
I followed every step and the sandwiches were to die for, I perfect lunch time treat for the weekend!
★★★★★
Thanks awesome Mikayla! I’m so glad you enjoyed my recipe.
I don’t eat a lot of fish sandwiches often but this one looks really tasty and flavorful. Looking forward to trying it.
★★★★★
Thanks! This is a favorite 🙂
The homemade Reuben Dressing really takes this wild cod fish reuben sandwich to the next level. Easy to make and so filling! Will for sure make again
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed my recipe Daniela! I agree that the homemade dressing is delicious.
My husband is a fan of rye bread and cod, so this recipe was perfect for making a new lunch meal. We both enjoyed the sandwiches very much, and they were so easy to prepare.
★★★★★
That’s great to hear Silvia 🙂
What a fun and fancy feeling sandwich! The dressing really completes it – I love it so much. This is a keeper for sure!
★★★★★
Yes! This sandwich is fun 🙂
This is such a unique twist on a classic reuben sandwich. We loved the cod and all the flavors combined. I will be making this again.
★★★★★
I totally agree Debbie. It’s a delicious combination of flavors.