I am particularly fond of this stir-fry because of the hot, peppery taste and penetrating aroma that comes from using so much ginger, and I find that people who have never had it before fall in love with it for the same reason. Of course, if you like a milder flavor, feel free to use less ginger; just be careful not to make it too mild, or the dish will be bland. In Cambodia, we believe that ginger has medicinal qualities and that it heats up the head and the whole system to make you feel better. With this in mind, you might want to try Ginger Catfish the next time you have a cold.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and cook, stirring, until brown and crisp, about 7 minutes. Add the fish, stir gently until thoroughly mixed with the ginger and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce and salt and stir well. Stir in the onion and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the red pepper and scallions and cook for another 2 minutes, then serve.
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Reviews (68)
Back to TopReally good! If you slice the ginger into thin matchstick size pieces and let them really brown to a crisp it makes them far less ginger-y and far more "fried" flavored. Really cool trick which makes it a far less ginger-y dish than you might imagine. That said, cutting 2 cups of matchstick sized pieces of ginger took me a little over an hour...so if you plan on making this dish, keep that in mind. Along with other prep, this is actually a fairly time consuming dish - basically 90 minutes for prep and about 15 actual cooking time. Also, definitely cut the catfish into bite-sized chunks...NOT thin slices.
aorr758786
Silver Spring, MD
5/2/2019
Made this once with the full amount of ginger, and found it too overpowering. Made it again with half the ginger and it was perfect. Second time I also omitted the onion, pepper and scallions and liked it better that way. I would also recommend cutting the catfish into larger pieces, otherwise it disintegrates. I did about 1-inch wide strips.
LittleRedHen
7/11/2012
Very very yummy. I wanted to make it more of a one dish meal so added mushrooms, Chinese Kale, and Pad Thai noodles. I cut the fish in chunks and added it after everything else was almost done. I used about a cup or more of the ginger and was amazed that it was not overwhelming.
Anonymous
Del Mar, CA
3/24/2011
Delicious. The caramelized ginger was a revelation. Mine tasted a little bit salty--this may have been because I used regular soy sauce rather than mushroom soy sauce. When I make this again, I am also going to add a little lime juice at the end for a bit of vibrance.
Anonymous
Brooklyn, NY
3/23/2011
I made this exactly as written and was disappointed. The catfish disintegrated into tiny pieces and the ginger, while pleasant and interesting at first, quickly became way too overpowering. There was just too much of it relative to the other ingredients. I will say that the sauce was delicious - I think I'll try this again using about 1/4 (or less) the amount of ginger and leaving the catfish whole.
LittleRedHen
2/18/2011
Sorry to say this did not live up to expectations. The taste was really "one note," and the catfish fell apart, making an unattractive dish. The browned ginger, however, was fun by itself and I will be playing with it in other recipes.
Anonymous
Montgomery, AL
1/7/2011
Excellent dish that even a gourmet non-cook can whip together and enjoy. I now make it routinely, often with catfish nougats (the cheapest fish you can get) and still get compliments from guests. This is easy to make and, unlike many Asian dishes, all the ingredients are readily available in a small town.
Anonymous
Woodbine, GA
5/8/2010
I am not sure why my dish ended up tasting so 'raw fishy' in the end. I couldn't get past that to be able to enjoy the dish. I will attempt this next time either with tilapia (as recommended) or tofu (also recommended).
chamimcrod
Silver Spring, MD
1/23/2010
Great recipe. I followed it exactly and it came out great. It was really easy to make, too. I'd probably cut the ginger down to 1.5 cups instead. I also added 3 green Thai chilis (Bird's eye chili) to add some kick to it.
bereninga
Brooklyn, NY
1/13/2010
This is one of my family's favorite recipes (my teenagers love it). I add a full red pepper julienned and either a yellow or orange pepper, a can of straw mushrooms, and sometimes baby corn. Also - to save time, I buy catfish nuggets (instead of full fillets). Try it - it is really good!
Anonymous
LaGrange Illinois
6/21/2009
I made this with tilapia - came out great1
Anonymous
Brooklyn,NY
1/25/2009
This is so easy and so delicious! I recommend using he full amount of ginger. The pieces become carmelized and the oil becomes infused. Wonderful! I will make this again and again.
Anonymous
Colorado
11/8/2008
Not only is this easy to make, it's so good! I didn't have the mushroom soy sauce, so I just used the good old fashion stuff. I figured there would be enough bite with the ginger and onion, so I left out the scallions. Instead, I used cilantro and I really can't imagine this recipe without it! I also pureed the ginger instead of slicing it. And I only used about 1/4 CUP of ginger. It was plenty! Served over rice. My 3 year old inhaled it.
Anonymous
Portland, Oregon
9/23/2008
We have made this dish many times, and it is delicious. We have found that although the dish is fine with regular soy sauce, the mushroom soy sauce is really falvorful. And we like it best when the ginger is cooked until it's nice and crispy. We've served it to company, and it's been a big hit.
walera
oakland, CA
5/3/2008
I love this dish. It is incredible. And when I have a cold, I want nothing but this or pho.
Anonymous
Seattle, WA
4/24/2008
