Ginger Stir-Fried Monkfish

 

Ingredients:

1 lb. monkfish (sliced into 1 1/2 inch cubes).
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tsp plus 1 Tbsp cornstarch
2/3 Cup vegetable broth
1/4 Cup plus 2 Tbsps oyster sauce
2 Tbsp dry sherry
1 Tsp minced fresh ginger
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Tsp sugar
1 largish portobello mushroom, sliced
1/2 Lb asparagus spears, cut on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces.
1/4 Lb snow peas
2 Tbsp olive oil
Hot cooked jasmine rice

Directions:

Combine

Monkfish
Soy sauce
1 Tsp cornstarch

in a medium bowl. Set aside to marinate.

For the sauce, mix the vegetable broth, oyster sauce, sherry, sugar and 1 Tbsp cornstarch in a second bowl.

Heat the wok with 1 Tbsp oil and stirfry the mushrooms. Set them aside in a bowl.

Add the asparagus, snow peas and water and stirfry until bright green ... or until the water is gone. Add them to the bowl with the mushrooms.

Add 1 Tbsp oil, heat and add the ginger and garlic. Stirfry until aromatic. Then add the monkfish and its marinade. Stirfry the fish until it is opaque.

Return the mushrooms, asparagus & snow peas to the wok and add the sauce. Cook until all is heated through and the sauce reduces a bit.

Server over the jasmine rice.

Notes:

This is a recipe that I found in the local newspaper in December, 2003. It looked interesting and I filed it away. Recently, I stumbled over it and realized that I had some unused asparagus and an unopened jar of oyster sauce that I had not had an opportunity to use. So...

Monkfish seems not to be a common fish in stores. The Houston upscale Whole Foods did not have it, and they recommended substituting cod, which they said was similarly non-fishy & sweetish. Having done the recipe now, I suspect that such fish differ also in firmness like tofu. And you will ideally want the extra firm. Cod seems to be just firm. It works ok, but I would like to try the recipe with real monkfish.

Oyster sauce should be available in stores that cater to oriental palates. It appears to be primarily Thai.

Vegetable broth can be made using Knorrs vegetable broth cubes. Use about 3/4 cube to 2/3 cup water, boiled in the microwave.

I had never cooked vegetables in the manner of the asparagus and snow peas, semi-boiled & semi-steamed. It is a way ot treating vegetables which could be easily transferred to other recipes.

This recipe will serve four. I made it for 2 with a 1/2 pound fish, adjusting the other ingredients as I thought necessary. I did not reduce the sauce.

I have made some minor alterations in the original recipe, and you should adapt it to your own tastes.

The idea of stirfried fish still seems odd to me for some reason, but the recipe works.