Give Your Banh Mi A Seafood Twist With A Flavor-Packed Canned Ingredient

The banh mi is one of the ultimate dish templates. Employ the best bread for the sandwich — a specialized rice-flour crispy take on the baguette — and you have a vessel for many fillings. While delicious candidates like grilled pork, chicken, meatballs, and cold cuts are the best-known protein stars in the U.S., they're only the tip of the iceberg with banh mi.

In Vietnam, sardines are also a popular sandwich component — many vendors have stacks of cans on hand. Most often, the processed fish are held in a flavorful spicy tomato sauce, upping the bold taste. No cooking is necessary, as the seafood product is ready to eat; just use a utensil to fill it into the bread.

Plus, the savory, salty tones of sardines are a natural complement to the bright pickled vegetables, cilantro, and spicy mayo that typically accompany the sandwich. With a few products procured, the banh mi variant that can easily come together in the home kitchen.

If you haven't already hopped on the preserved seafood train, then sardines are a great starting point. Just keep some tips for using the canned fish in mind, and they're an excellent source of fat and protein — exactly what you want for a sandwich filling. In fact, they offer a high enough oil content that you'll want those tasty banh mi vegetable toppings to offer a contrast.

Start by assembling classics like the pickled daikon and carrot, which retain their crisp in a rice wine vinegar (don't confuse it with rice wine), and sugar marinade. If you're keen to keep it simple, dress the fish with mayo, add fresh herbs like cilantro, mint, and basil — as well as some jalapeños for heat — and you'll have yourself a terrific banh mi rendition.

However, if you're after something with a bit more of a flavor punch, then buy neutral-flavored sardines in oil, and marinate the fish overnight. Add aromatics like shallots, chiles, lime zest, and cilantro, then cover in lime juice mixed with fish sauce. After 24 hours, you'll get a new fish filling that melds with the banh mi in mouthwatering fashion.