Poached Sablefish and Bok Choy with Lemongrass, Ginger, and Chili

While sablefish’s texture and fat content stand up admirably to the heat of the grill, this firm fish is also delicious poached. For this recipe, sablefish’s luxurious taste is combined with a light fragrant broth of lemongrass and ginger punctuated with the heat of Thai chili.

Ingredients

2 cups (500 mL) low-sodium vegetable stock1 tsp (5 mL) tamari2 Tbsp (30 mL) rice wine vinegar1/2 Thai chili, finely sliced1 piece of lemongrass, cut into 2 in (5 cm) pieces1 thumb-sized piece of gingerroot, sliced into 5 to 6 pieces1 Tbsp (15 mL) sesame oil2 pieces baby bok choy, quartered2 – 6 oz (170 g) pieces sablefish, skin removed1 Tbsp (15 mL) finely sliced green onions

Directions

1

Celebrate & Feel Great!

In medium-sized jug, combine stock, tamari, and vinegar, then add Thai chili, lemongrass, and gingerroot pieces. Set aside.

2

In 10 in (25 cm) skillet, heat sesame oil on medium-high. Sear bok choy for 2 minutes, until golden brown on all sides, turning as necessary. Reduce heat to medium and pour in stock mixture. Simmer for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low so that liquid is at a gentle simmer. Add fish pieces and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until sections of sablefish begin to flake apart but pieces remain intact.

3

With tongs, remove bok choy and place on warmed plates. With slotted spoon or fish spatula, remove sablefish and place atop bok choy on each plate. Spoon a ladleful of cooking stock overtop, sprinkle with green onions, and serve.

Per serving:

calories446protein23 gtotal fat35 gsat. fat8 gtotal carbohydrates9 gsugars5 gfibre2 gsodium439 mg

Sustainability status

Sablefish, also known as butterfish or black cod, is a rich and satisfying fish, plentiful in omega-3s and sourced sustainably from the Pacific Northwest.

Skin and bones

Sablefish has large pin bones. Ideally, your fishmonger will remove them, but if not, before you begin, locate them along the fish’s centreline and, using a pair of needle nose pliers, grasp them firmly to remove.

You can leave the skin on for this recipe, which may help the fish hold together a little better while cooking, but it can be tricky to peel the skin away from the cooked fish and discard before plating. I opted to remove the skin first and simply keep a close eye on the cooking time, being careful to remove the fish from the poaching liquid before it flakes apart.

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