TAMPA Magazines’ 2021 Tampa Sandwich Hunt saw 14 local restaurants submit sandwiches in hopes of coming out on top. This year, voters melted for all things spicy. In the national chain category, a crispy sriracha chicken sandwich was triumphant. In the local restaurant category, seafood reigned supreme, with a Nashville-inspired hot fish sandwich taking first place. Read more about these special sandwiches here.
Local Winner: Nashville Hot Fish, Half Moon Seafood Company
The father-son duo behind Half Moon Seafood Company set out to challenge the seafood status quo, emphasizing responsible sourcing and unique ingredients made in-house. The result? The Nashville Hot Fish is Half Moon’s seafood-centric take on the popular Nashville-style hot sandwich. A Florida staple like Gulf grouper, or another fish of your choice, is fried and tossed in Nashville hot sauce and finished with house-made slaw and hand-cut pickles inside a toasted and buttered brioche bun. Choose your heat level and grab a fork! “It’s a messy sandwich. It’s hard to put down that slightly sweet, definitely spicy, interesting flavor,” says Tyler Cate, co-owner of Half Moon. “We can’t promise your face won’t sweat, but we can promise you will enjoy every bite. Half Moon, full belly.”
Half Moon Seafood Company | 11508 N. 56th St., Temple Terrace | halfmoonseafood.com
Runner-Up: Coastal Crab Cake Sandwich, Salt Shack on the Bay
Tampa has been enjoying blue crab, abundant in the waters around the Bay, for over 100 years. Dishes like crab chilau and devil crab are as Tampa as it gets. Salt Shack’s Coastal Crab Cake Sandwich is proving just as capable of pleasing Tampa’s blue crab lovers, with this year being its second on the Tampa Sandwich Hunt winners list. Salt Shack on the Bay’s seafood-forward menu honors this staple of local cuisine with its sandwich made with jumbo lump blue crab and topped with lettuce, tomato and housemade aioli. “The Tampa Bay community knows an authentic and delicious crab cake when they experience it,” says Bill Baratta, Salt Shack on the Bay’s marketing director. “The coastal crab cake sandwich is one of Salt Shack’s house specialties and it’s a must-have. It’s the key lime garlic aioli that really takes this jumbo lump crab cake masterpiece to the next level.”
Salt Shack on the Bay | 5415 W. Tyson Ave., Tampa salt-shack.com
Voters Also Loved: Paris (Grilled): Wright’s Gourmet House
This tasty sandwich is chock full of tender turkey breast slices and creamy, melty brie cheese. Thinly sliced fresh apples add a sweet crunch, and the sandwich is finished with Pete Wright’s homemade mustard sauce and served between two slices of butter-crust white bread. The Paris was introduced to customers at Wright’s by the late chef Joe Glatt and has been pleasing patrons with its unique blend of flavors and textures ever since. “The Paris works so well on a couple of different levels. Obviously, it tastes great and it’s unique. Who puts brie or apples on a sandwich? Well, we do,” owner Jeff Mount says. “But I think what makes it especially pleasurable to eat is the combination of textures. The soft, warm brie and the crisp apple slices are just mmmmm.”
Wright’s Gourmet House | 1200 S. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa | wrightsgourmet.com
National Winner: Crispy Sriracha Chicken Sandwich, Aussie Grill by Outback
Spicy and sweet come together in perfect harmony to create this year’s national winner from Aussie Grill by Outback, the Crispy Sriracha Chicken Sandwich. Sweet-hot homemade honey sriracha is infused into light, crispy, hand-breaded fried chicken and paired with vine-ripe tomatoes, crisp lettuce, tangy, crunchy house-made pickles and spicy-smoky aioli. It all comes together inside a warm brioche bun to create a handheld masterpiece that’s bursting with taste. A fast-casual concept from Bloomin’ Brands, Aussie Grill by Outback wanted to bring together a variety of flavors and textures with its creation. “This sandwich is special because it is genuinely spicy, yet sweet, so they balance each other out like a symphonic orchestra,” says Chef Efrem Cutler, vice president of research and development at Aussie Grill. “For us, it was all about developing craveable menu items you can only find at Aussie Grill.”
Aussie Grill Locations in Wesley Chapel/Lutz, Brandon, International Plaza and Bay Street, Westfield Brandon Mall and Riverview (delivery only) | aussiegrill.com
Not the handheld you were looking for? Check out Tampa’s Best Burgers
