It all started with some leftover New England (split down the middle) hot dog buns from a weenie roast last week. Or maybe it was our first CSA pick-up and a small bunch of of almost chartreuse, baby dill. Correction– it could have been the radishes, straight from the ground in our small vegetable garden. But what about the green garlic that I bought at the farmers market, so bright, and simply hinting at the pungency to come? It could have been that. Or maybe at was a mixture of all of those things that led to one delicious fish sandwich.

Remember the tomato fiasco of 2009? Those tomatoes would just not ripen. Well, Brian and I are trying again; but this time we’re putting the vegetables in the ground. We have peas, arugula, some tomatoes (keep your finger crossed), and radish. The radish is by far the most gratifying. We plunked them in the soil in early May, and four weeks later, big, beautiful vegetables appeared. Almost instant gratification. I picked a few, and julienned them on my mandolin, and then set them to marinate in olive oil, salt and pepper.

Then I hard-cooked a couple of eggs. I had a few scallions, so those were chopped and set in a bowl. The green garlic was lightly sauteed in olive oil; then that went into a the bowl with the scallions. I pan-fried two Tilapia filets, after dredging them in flour and bread crumbs. (Tilapia is sort of bland– I know– but it is perfect for fish sandwiches and tacos.) I then shredded the Tilapia, and added it to the scallions and garlic. I dumped in the radish, chopped the eggs, which made the mixture creamy, squeezed in a lemon, and seasoned well with with salt and pepper.

I toasted the buns, which incidentally were the perfect foil for this flavorful sandwich, and packed a healthy serving of the salad into each one. I then tore some of the fresh dill on top. The sandwich had a little bit of everything in it; some might say everything but the kitchen sink. But I would say, my kitchen sink never tasted so good! The sandwich was creamy (with no mayo!), lemony, and crunchy from the radish. But most of all, it tasted of spring.