fish finger ciabattas with roasted sweet potato chips and green beans

I’ll admit up front that this recipe wasn’t exactly low-calorie. That being said, I would consider it more of a “healthy splurge” rather than a shameful dinner that has one rushing to the gym the next day.

What I like best about this recipe is the grown-up version of good ol’ fish finger sandwiches and chips. By slipping in a ciabatta and replacing potatoes with sweet potatoes (and roasting them), you get a rather posh kids’ dinner that’s equally desirable for adults.

(serves 2)
1 long ciabatta, sliced through the middle
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, cut lengthways and sliced into long chips
10 sprays of olive oil
10 frozen fish fingers (I use the ones with haddock)
250 g fine green beans, frozen (or substitute any other fresh or frozen green vegetable)
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2-3 gherkins, chopped finely
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Place the sweet potatoes in a foil lined roasting tin; add the olive oil spray and season. Roast for 40 minutes.

After 40 minutes, move the sweet potatoes to the bottom of the oven and change the setting on the oven to a medium-heat grill. Place the ten fish fingers under the grill for 15 minutes, turning once.

After five minutes, place the top and bottom of the ciabatta bread on the middle shelf of the oven, allowing it to warm for 10 minutes.

Quickly make the spread for the ciabatta by adding together the gherkins, mayonnaise, lemon juice and black pepper.

Place the green beans in a steamer on the hob and steam for 5 minutes. (If you don’t have a steamer, simply boil the vegetables).

Turn the grill off. Remove the ciabatta bread from the oven and coat both sides with the gherkin-mayo mixture. Remove the fish fingers from the oven and line them up on the ciabatta – they should cover the length of the loaf. Cut in half and place one half on each plate.

Remove the sweet potatoes and add to the plates, along with the green beans. Serve immediately.

Like I said, this isn’t exactly a low-calorie meal, but with fish fingers, sweet potatoes, and green beans, it isn’t unhealthy either. Each serving clocks in at just around 1000 calories. It makes a great, informal Friday night meal – a healthier version of fish and chips.

When I served this, I served myself more green beans and my husband more sweet potatoes, just to bulk up on green vegetables.

If you were to serve this to kids, the same quantities will make four servings.