Fish Fried Rice

No, I do not mean Vegetable Fried Rice topped with fried fish; I am talking here about fish that’s cooked-in/stir fried with the rice and vegetables. Curious? Read on.

A little over 3 weeks ago was Good Friday and that meant for many of us observing the Lenten season, that there would be no meat cooked on that day. It would have to be seafood (usually fish) or full-on vegetarian.

I bought a whole white-flesh fish and had the guy cleaning it, fillet the fish and remove the skin. This cut and style meant that I could do a variety of things with the fish such as pan searing, sautéing, steaming, or cooking it wrapped in parchment (fish en papillote). I opted to sear the fillets over very high heat to firm up the fish and then cut them into chunks to stir-fry and finish cooking with the heat from the cooked rice and vegetables.

Trout, snook and grey snapper would be ideal for this application or any firm white fish.

Here’s what you need and how to make this Fish Fried Rice.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds white fish fillets
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oil
• 2 tablespoons finely minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
• Finely minced hot pepper to taste
• 1¼ cups thinly sliced bora (see substitutes in notes)
• 1¼ cups finely diced carrots
• 6 cups cooked rice that has been cooled and fluffed
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (see notes)
• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• Thinly sliced scallions/shallots/green onions for garnish
• A handful of fresh cilantro/coriander leaves (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse and pat dry the fish then season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add oil to a shallow frying pan to coat the pan and place over medium heat until smoking hot. Working in batches, depending on the size of your pan, lay the fillets into the pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side (this time will vary depending on the thickness of the fish). Remove fish and set aside (you will need to add and heat oil in between each batch).
3. Let the fish rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting into large chunks or according to your preference. It is okay if the fish is not cooked through at this stage; it will finish cooking when added to the pan with the other ingredients.
4. Add 3 – 4 tablespoons of oil to a deep frying pan such as a wok or karahi and place over medium heat until hot.
5. Add ginger, garlic and pepper and cook for 2 minutes tossing intermittently.
6. Add bora and carrots along with salt and pepper to taste and toss to mix and cook for 3 minutes (reduce the heat a little so as not to brown the veggies).
7. Raise heat to high and add rice along with soy sauce and toss to coat and mix; season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for 2 minutes.
8. Add fish along with sesame oil, toss to mix and cook for 3 minutes or until the rice is hot and everything is heated through. If using cilantro/coriander, add to the pan, mix in, then remove pan from heat.
9. Serve fried rice hot, garnished with scallions/ green onions/shallots.

NOTES

• If your fillets are long, cut them in half to fit your pan.
• If you are worried about the fish sticking to the pan, use a non-stick pan. You will know the fish is ready to be turned, when it can easily be lifted without resistance or very little if any.
• In place of bora I used snow peas that I sliced thinly; fresh or defrosted green peas can be used too. Bean sprouts would be a great addition.
• Dark soy sauce is darker than regular soy sauce in colour. It is also thicker and not as salty, there are sweet notes in darker soy sauce.