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These sweet and spicy Bang Bang Fish Sliders are everything you love about Bang Bang Fish Tacos in tiny burger form!
This post is sponsored by King Oscar | Thank you for supporting the brands I trust.
Big flavor in a tiny package.
Every single bite of these Bang Bang Fish Sliders offers up a bit of spicy, sweet, tangy, and tart. Despite the complex flavor profile, they couldn’t be easier to make. Everything is homemade here—the fish patties, the slaw, and the crave-worthy Bang Bang Sauce. This is definitely a recipe that earns you bragging rights.
King Oscar’s Skinless & Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil: perfect for fish patties.
The fillets are tender and moist, promising a juicy burger; nobody wants dry patties. Not to mention, this is such a great way to utilize sardines and sneak them into your lifestyle! Sardines are incredibly healthy, bursting with vitamins, minerals, calcium, protein, and Omega-3 fatty acids. Yet people are skeptical about these tiny tinned fish and avoid them, often opting for tuna instead. But the folks at King Oscar and I are eager to change minds. If you can’t find King Oscar at your local supermarket, Amazon has you covered.
Here’s the gist on how to make Bang Bang Fish Sliders.
Tangy slaw.
Start off by getting your slaw quick-pickled. Squeeze the lime juice into a large bowl, then add a pinch of salt and brown sugar. Give is a good whisk, add the slaw, and toss the slaw in the juice to coat. Then set it aside. Now you can move onto your fish patties.
Fish patties.
Place all of the ingredients for the fish patties into a large mixing bowl and, by hand, mix everything together until well blended. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. One by one, form the patties with your hands until all of the mixture has been used up. Use about 1/3 cup of the mixture for each patty. This should be enough to give you six nicely sized patties for your slider buns. Once all of your patties have been formed, place them in the fridge for 20-30 minutes so they can set. Now, onto that Bang Bang sauce!
Bang Bang Sauce.
Simply put the mayo, sweet chili sauce, Sriracha, and honey into a small bowl and mix it with a fork until it’s well blended. Give it a taste, and mix in more Sriracha until you get the level of heat you prefer.
Getting the sliders together.
To cook the patties, just add a bit of olive oil to a cast iron skillet or non-stick pan and cook the patties for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Place each patty on top of a slider bun, top it with a generous amount of slaw, and drizzle it with Bang Bang Sauce. Close up your bun, sink your teeth in, and enjoy!
Recipe notes + tips:
- For extra King Oscar goodness, go ahead and use the olive oil that came with the sardines in the can when it’s time to grease up your skillet. You can put that stuff to god use!
- The Bang Bang Sauce is super easy to adapt to your taste; start with 1 tsp of Sriracha and add more as you go in order to reach your preferred level of heat.
- Feel free to add more toppings, like cool cucumber slices and crisp radishes.
- If you’re trying to avoid frying, these patties can be baked in the oven at 350º F, middle rack, for 15-20 minutes or until the patties are golden and have crisped.
- When frying, be sure not to overcrowd the pan. Cook the patties in batches if needed.
You may also like…
- Instant Pot Pesto Pasta with Sardines
- Green Goddess Pita with Sardines
- Spicy Tostadas with Sardines
- Cheddar Jalapeño Gourmet Grilled Cheese with Sardines
Bang Bang Fish Sliders
Ingredients
Fish patties.
- 2 cans of King Oscar Skinless & Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil, drained, You can preserve the oil for frying in the pan later, if you wish.
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
- Zest of one lime
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 TBSP sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1-2 TBSP olive oil, for frying
- 6 Slider buns
Bang Bang Sauce.
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 TBSP Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
- 1 tsp Sriracha; add more to adjust the heat to your preference
- 1/2 tsp honey
Tangy slaw.
- 2 cups ready-to-eat shredded cabbage slaw, *See notes
- Juice of one lime
- 1/4 tsp brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
For the slaw.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, salt, and brown sugar. Add the slaw, and with your fingers, gently toss the slaw until fully coated; set aside.
For the fish patties.
- Put all of the ingredients for the fish patties into a large mixing bowl. With your hands, mix everything together until well blended. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Form the patties, one by one, with your hands until all of the mixture has been used up. Use about 1/3 cup of the mixture for each patty. Once all of your patties have been formed, put them in the fridge for 20-30 minutes so they can set.
For the Bang Bang Sauce.
- Put the mayo, sweet chili sauce, Sriracha, and honey into a small bowl and mix it with a fork until it's well blended. Give it a taste, and adjust the heat to your preference by adding more Sriracha until you're happy with it.
Bang Bang Fish Sliders.
- Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet or non-stick pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the patties into the pan—but don't overcrowd the pan! If you have to cook in batches, that's totally fine.
- Cook for about 5-6 minutes or until golden brown, flipping the patties halfway through. Once the patties are golden and crisped, they're ready to go.
- Remove the patties from the skillet and set onto a paper towel to absorb extra oil.
- Once all of the patties are cooked, place each patty on the bottom bun of a slider. Top with slaw, drizzle with Bang Bang Sauce, and garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro. Close the slider up with the top bun and enjoy!
These were fantastic!! I’ve never tried sardines before but I know they’re healthy so wanted to give them a try. My super picky kids devoured them, thank you!!