The New Jersey Italian Salmon Hot Dog
Created by Sabatino Perrotta, Executive Chef/Owner of Sabatino’s, for Edible Jersey Magazine
The “Jersey Italian Hot Dog” has long been a New Jersey classic. Known for an abundance of hot dogs, sauteed green peppers, onions and potatoes (or French fries) all squeezed in to one roll, the dish has become more famous for its overstuffed quantity than for its health.
Here, Chef Sabatino Perrotta adds culinary flair to create a modern twist that tastes good and is good for you, too. In addition to replacing the traditional meat hot dog with a salmon hot dog, he uses red pepper instead of green to bring “a little sweetness”. The truffle sauce adds some complexity and heat while the citrus and cilantro brighten up the entire dish with fresh flavor.
Makes 2 large sandwiches (can be cut in half!)
INGREDIENTS
1 red pepper, sliced (julienned)
1/2 medium white onion, sliced (julienned)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium potato, halved, then thinly sliced
2/3 cup canola oil
4 Kvaroy Arctic salmon hot dogs (1 package)
2 large (8”-10”) semolina (hero) Italian roll
Hot Truffle Sauce (can be made in advance and refrigerated)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Truff hot sauce (can substitute ¼ cup Frank’s or another hot sauce + 2 tbs. truffle oil)
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 lemon, squeezed to taste
1 lime, squeezed to taste
Up to 3 tablespoons water
DIRECTIONS
Mix sauce ingredients ahead of time, adding hot sauce to taste and keeping a small amount of chopped cilantro to the side for garnish. Once blended, add small amount of water to the sauce and stir for desired consistency. (Sauce should not be runny.) Set aside.
Heat the canola oil in a pan over medium heat. Add potato slices and brown, stirring frequently, until potatoes are cooked through and golden on both sides. Remove potatoes from pan and set aside.
Add the peppers, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute together until pepper is slightly soft and onion is transparent. Stir frequently while sauteing so garlic does not burn. Add the potatoes back into the pan and stir together.
Using a grill pan or outdoor grill, cook salmon hot dogs, brushing with oil and turning over until slightly browned and cooked.
Slice roll open lengthwise, but do not completely cut through. Open roll and place two cooked hot dogs inside each roll, side by side or in a line. Top hot dogs with mix of cooked peppers, onions, garlic and potatoes.
Top with sauce and garnish sandwich with remaining cilantro. Any leftover sauce can be kept in refrigerator.
Sabatino Perotta grew up in Maplewood, NJ. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, NY, he worked at one of the leading restaurant groups in the Garden State before opening up his first restaurant, Sabatino’s, in his hometown in 2018. The popular, family-friendly eatery is known for its fresh pizza and wide range of Italian pastas, sandwiches and salads. The Italian influence is a lifelong inheritance. The chef’s father moved to the U.S. at the age of 18 from a small town near Naples, Italy. Sabatino returns to Italy every year, primarily visiting the Tuscany region.