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Catfish Sloppy Joe Sliders. I saw a version of this sandwich in Esquire magazine several years ago. Esquire rated Rick Moonen’s recipe one of the best sandwiches in America. That sandwich was a full-sized Catfish Sloppy Joe served on a super soft potato bun. What’s so amazing about this sandwich (his version or mine) is the familiarity of it. Yes, I realize the Sloppy Joe Sandwiches of your youth were not made from catfish (necessarily??). But it’s not the choice of protein that makes a Sloppy Joe so familiar.

It’s something more basic than that.

Some foods are memory triggers. For me sandwiches have the ability to take me back to childhood more than any other category of food. So a Catfish Sloppy Joe Slider, or a man-sized Manwich-style Sloppy Joe have the same effect. They’re like time machines transferring me back to a middle-school hot lunch line, where hair-netted lunch ladies ladle heavy spoonfuls of tomatoey beef onto sesame-studded hamburger buns.

They familiarity doesn’t stop there. At least not for me. Rick Moonen’s recipe is served very much like the lunch lady versions from my adolescence. By that I mean plain. Even in those days I tended to personalize my food. Most of the boys scarfed these sandwiches down without even peeking under the bun. That’s because in middle-school the lunch hour is practically as competitive as P.E. class, and often just as stressful. The more aggressive boys at my table were typically in a race to see who could eat the sandwich the fastest. When that form of domination began to bore them, they’d surely run off to see if they could trick the lunch lady into a second sandwich– so they could prove their superiority all over again.

Not me however, I’d sit quietly (and hopefully out of their peripheral vision) and lift the bun to consider how I could dress up this boy’s version of a Manwich. Potato chips, crunchy pickles, or maybe something from the salad compartment of my indented lunch tray. You just never knew how creative I could get with a Sloppy Joe. Though I admit a Catfish Sloppy Joe was (at that point in my life) a little beyond my imagining.

Today however a Catfish Sloppy Joe feels just right to me. So I peeked under the bun of Mr. Moonen’s sandwich and chose a few creative additions and alterations of my own. I don’t think he’ll mind my adaptations, however. Because what really matters is the place your mind goes to when you pick up one of these Catfish Sloppy Joe Sliders and take a bite. Once you feel that familiar slow drizzle of tomatoey sauce beginning to slip down your chin, you’ll feel just like a 12-year-old trying to avoid the loud boys at lunchtime. GREG

Expand Recipe…

Catfish Sloppy Joe Sliders 

By: Greg Henry

Print This Recipe Total time 45 minutes Yield 4Source Adapted from Rick MoonenPublished September 18, 2014

Rick Moonen suggests you choose (or make) a not too smoky, fairly simple, tomato-based barbecue sauce without much vinegar.

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ pound cabbage (finely shredded)
• 1 carrot (finely shredded)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt (plus more for seasoning catfish)
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup whole milk
• ¼ cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 8 ounce skinless catfish fillet (cut into ½‑inch chunks)
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1 small onion (diced) about 3/4‑cup
• 1 small green bell pepper (seeded and diced) about 3/4‑cup
• 2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 cup barbecue sauce (either homemade or store bought, see note)
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter (melted)
• 8 soft slider buns
• 2 heirloom tomatoes (sliced) choose tomato size to fit buns

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Directions

Prepare the cole slaw: Combine shredded cabbage and carrot in a large bowl; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, salt, pepper, mayonnaise, milk, buttermilk, lemon juice and vinegar until well blended; toss with vegetables. Cover and chill until ready to use. This recipe makes more than you need to top these sliders. It will keep refrigerated about 3 days.

Prepare the sloppy Joe mixture: Season the catfish with salt. Heat a medium non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is quite hot, add the oil, onion, and bell pepper. Cook, stirring often until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the paprika and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the catfish and cook, stirring often, until the fish is opaque. Add the barbecue sauce and lower heat to a simmer. Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 10 minutes.

Assemble the sliders: Brush melted butter on the slider tops and bottoms. Lightly toast them, buttered-side down, in a hot skillet. 

Lay the buns, toasted side up, onto a clean work surface. Place a tomato slice on each of the bun bottoms, top with sloppy Joe mixture and cole slaw (be generous). Close the sliders with the bun tops; serve immediately (with napkins).