Fried Sand Dabs with Bacon and Thyme

Preparation info
  • Serves

    6

    • Difficulty

      Easy

Appears in
Everything on the Table

By Colman Andrews

Published 1992

  • About

This idea is based very loosely on a dish of sweetbreads in a cream sauce flavored with pearl onions, bacon, and fresh thyme that Jonathan Waxman used to serve at his late, lamented Jams in New York City.

Ingredients

  • ½ pound thinly sliced bacon
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • Leaves from 8 to 10

Method

Fry bacon over medium-low heat until brown and crisp in 1 very large or 2 smaller skillets. Drain on paper towels, reserving rendered fat in pan.

Mix paprika, thyme, salt, and plenty of pepper into cornmeal. Dip sand dabs in half-and-half or milk, then dredge thoroughly in cornmeal. Fry in batches in bacon fat over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.

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