Black Cod Fillets Poached in Five-Spice Broth with Baby Bok Choy and Udon
4.8
(15)
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Active Time
20 minutes
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Total Time
25 minutes
I could eat a meal like this almost every night. It's light and fresh, with vegetables and flaky fish poached in a perfumed broth. Five-spice powder is a Chinese spice blend combining equal parts cinnamon, star anise, clove, fennel, and Szechuan peppercorns, and can be found these days in most well-stocked grocery stores. A spa meal without the sacrifice, the chewy udon noodles and bok choy soak up that brothy flavor and round out this quick meal perfectly. Who said eating well was hard work?
Ingredients
Serves 2
Step 1
1. Pat the fillets dry and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.
Step 2
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, sherry, soy sauce, sugar, five-spice powder, and sesame oil. Set aside.
Step 3
3. Heat a 12-in/30.5-cm skillet with a lid over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. When the oil shimmers, add the bok choy stems, carrot, and ginger and sauté until the bok choy turns bright green and the ginger is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the broth mixture and bring to a simmer. Add the noodles and give them a stir to keep them from sticking. When the broth returns to a simmer, top the noodles and veggies with the fish, bok choy leaves, and green onion. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the noodles and fish are tender and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Taste and add more soy sauce or pepper if the mix needs it.
Step 4
4. Divide the noodles and fish between two warmed shallow bowls and ladle the broth and vegetables over. Garnish with the cilantro and sesame seeds and serve hot.
Variation:If you can't find black cod, don't despair. This dish is delicious using cod or tilapia as well.
It's that easy:Cutting vegetables on the diagonal is an Asian technique that exposes more cut surface to heat, helping the vegetables to cook faster. They also look prettier cut that way. Just angle your knife and slice away. You'll get the hang of it in no time.
Extra hungry?Serve a bigger piece of fish. About 8 oz/225 g should do it.
In the glass:Try a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, such as Kim Crawford or Pomelo for tropical fruit and a zesty finish.
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Reviews (15)
Back to TopGreat combination of flavors! A couple of comments: first, I added some shitake mushrooms to the bok choy and carrots, and that was a definite plus! Second, I could only find soba noodles, and for me, the noodles, broth, and fish all cooking together didn't work because I used sea bass, and the piece was pretty thick. By the time the fish cooked, the noodles would have been mush, so I cooked them separately. Maybe udon noodles cook differently. But overall, I will definitely make this again.
Anonymous
Atlanta, GA
2/16/2021
Versatile recipe - you can substitute virtually any fish, scallops or shrimp. I'm on a low-sodium diet so I didn't add salt, used low-sodium chicken stock and low-sodium soy sauce. It was still spicy with great taste.
waltsorg
Michigan
1/18/2021
Loved this simple broth with black cod, noodles, and veg. The recipe comes together quickly, tastes delicate but flavorful, and the textures are excellent if properly cooked. I had relatively thick fillets and added the bok choy leaf and green onion at what I though was almost the end. Still - the fish needed an extra two minutes, resulting in more wilted greens than I typically like. I used frozen, cooked soba noodles which worked wonderfully. May also add more veg next time.
hayes_rachel
Nashville, TN
1/7/2021
This was really nice. I did have the black cod which is pretty special and delicious. I love boy Choy, but had a big bunch of chard that needed to be used so went with that and worked very well here too. I think any greens would be just fine here. The convenience of one pan sounds great on paper, but agree that the noodles need to be cooked separate maybe for more control of them (space to move so they don't clump and time). Even if cooked in the broth, drained and put in bowls while rest of broth is used for veg and fish. (If the starchy broth doesn't bother you) I will make again and try this. Enjoyed the dish overall though.
stephl
Woodbury, MN
8/6/2020
We LOVED this dish, which is really a classy skillet dinner. Substituted rainbow chard for the bok choi, and turmeric flat rice noodles for the udon, because that is what we had at hand. The fish was so moist and flavorful. I also recommend adding extra diced fresh ginger. "Put that on our dinner rotation!" said the Honey. Done.
ninahaft
Oakland, CA
12/10/2018
I've made this several times with regular cod. It's quite a perfect recipe as is but can be amended. Sliced mushroom or a minced garlic clove.
misjean08
Las Vegas, NV
8/29/2016
This was delicious. I couldn't find black cod so I used tilapia, which held up really well to the broth. I also used better than bullion rather than the canned chicken stock . I thought the amount of noodle was perfect, and they were perfectly chewy and delicious. Next time might even use more bok choy.
alyssakate01
Nantucket, MA
5/4/2016
Made this almost as instructed. For my own health reasons I used no- sodium home made broth, low-sod. soy sauce and only a touch of salt on the fish. I assumed the recipe was for the noodle to be already cooked and drained and it turned out perfect. I will definitely make again.
misjean08
Las Vegas, NV
2/18/2016
Terrible The noodles need to be cooked separately so the starch doesn't overwhelm the soup. Rice noodles might have been better
jpixley
Reno
1/12/2015
Great, simple recipe. Next time I would double the five spice powder. I couldn't find udon so I substituted rice noodles and was delicious. Will make again - so quick for an elegant dish.
Anonymous
Ottawa, Canada
12/10/2014
I would make this again, except I would use 1/2 tsp of Chinese Five spice seasoning instead of 1 tsp.
Anonymous
Redondo Beach, CA
12/30/2013
我做这道菜黑鳕鱼、矩形ipe exactly. It was superb. I used tiliapia for the second try. It was good, but lacked a bit of the body the black cod provides. The broth, in my view, is near perfection - savory, subtle and deep.
larrykerr
Bainbridge Island, WA
12/26/2013
Quick, easy, and nice. I had purchased regular cod and was looking for a quick recipe. This one caught my attention. I had to make substitutions with what I had on hand -- turnip greens, buckwheat soba noodles -- worked well. Add some siracha as it is a mild broth.
smcg720
Beverly Hills, MI
12/6/2013
This is delicious. Period.
kmvictor
Brooklyn, NY
11/26/2013
This was incredibly quick to make and it tasted delicious. Added a bit more soy sauce, plus some hoison and fish sauce to the broth to give it more depth. Will certainly make again.
Anonymous
toronto
6/4/2013
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