Give Me Some Food

I bet you might be thinking about your resolutions that start tomorrow. How you are going to stop being obsessed with celebrity gossip and instead of reading US Magazine, read some worthwhile literature, like People, fit back into your skinny jeans, and stop wasting time reading blogs! Well so that you might not fulfill your third resolution, I’m going to help you with your second!

I searched for this recipe, Pan-Seared Fish Fillets in Ginger Broth from the January Gourmet, because I knew if I ate anymore red meat this holiday season, I might commit a felony with my new cast iron skillet.

Yes, you’re saying, it looks good, but Kristen, those aren’t fillets, they are chunks- you made Chunks O’Fish in Ginger Broth. Well, yes- what happened was the stripped bass and my pan decided to reenact WWII on my stove top…

 
See that fillet in the middle is Germany, and the little flecks of fish are the Americans storming Normandy, and that big brown fillet on the left is Winston Churchill…

Ok- so what really happened is I used a NON- non-stick pan. Nothing in the recipe told me to use a non-stick, so I tortured my poor bass- which also took TWICE AS LONG to cook than Gourmet directed.

But besides the fish chunking, the recipe is really good, really easy, and I can’t imagine it having many calories. I think the secret is the Sherry in the broth. It gives a sweetness and a richness. This dish almost rivals Asian Noodle Soup and it doesn’t taste one bit like “diet” food. One thing I did change in the recipe is I doubled the broth and vegetables because I didn’t want to have to make an extra vegetable side dish. One dish meals are gold. I also increased the fish: Gourmet said 4oz per person, I say 6oz. So I’m going to give you the recipe that I actually made:

Serves 4

1 lb bok choy
2 medium carrots
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 (1 ½ inch) piece ginger, cut into matchsticks
½ c sherry
3 ½ c (two cans) low sodium chicken broth
4 tsp sugar
5 scallions- cut into matchstick strips
4 (6-8oz) stripped bass fillets with skin, pin bones removed
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 ½ tsp cornstarch
1 ½ tsp curry powder
2 tsp sesame oil
Fresh Cilantro

Slice bok choy into ½ inch-wide slices. Separate stalks and leaves. Peel and halve carrot, slice into ¼ inch-thick slices. Heat 1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy pot over medium heat until hot but not smoking.  Stir fry bok choy stalks, carrots and ginger 1 minute. Add Sherry, broth and sugar and simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Add bok choy leaves and scallions and simmer, covered 5 minutes. Stir in sesame oil and half of salt and pepper. Keep warm, uncovered on turned off burner ( this last direction seems very odd because how are you supposed to keep the mixture warm if you can’t cover it or keep it over heat? My broth was lukewarm when I did this- I might recommend trying to keep it on low heat)

Pat fish dry and sprinkle with half of salt and pepper. Stir cornstarch and curry in a small bowl and rub all over fillet. Halve each fillet diagonally. Heat 1 ½ tbsp oil in separate skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking, then cook fish, skin side down, until skin is golden, 5 minutes (that’s what it took for me, they said 2-3). Turn fish over and cook until just cooked through 5 minutes (they say 2 again).

Divide broth into wide shallow bowls. Lay fish over vegetables. Garnish with Cilantro

Have a Happy New Year!