Miso-Glazed Catfish and Baby Bok Choy

 

Found this recipe on Serious Eats, which in turn traces it back to Whole Foods' website. Given that I had a pound of catfish instead of 10 oz. and that I love miso, I increased the amount of glaze (and, after several awkward fork-and-back-of-spoon applications, resolved to buy a brush). This turned out to be rich, tasty but still very healthy; the bok choy was just the right combination of softened but still-crisp stems and tender leaves. John heartily approves, too.

• 1 lb. catfish
• 1-1/2 tbsp. white miso
• 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 4 baby bok choy, washed and halved

Whisk miso, 1 tbsp. olive oil, sugar and about 2 tbsp. of water together till smooth (add more water, a few drops at a time, if it seems too chunky for you).

Coat catfish fillets with glaze. 

Meanwhile, put 1 tbsp. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add catfish and cook till lightly browned but not overdone - about 5-6 minutes. Flip once, halfway through.

Remove catfish from pan and cover with foil.

Cut baby bok choy in half, lengthwise, and coat with remaining glaze. Scrape browned bits in pan, then add bok choy, cut side down, and 2 tbsp. of water. Cover and cook, turning once or twice, till bok choy is tender but still bright green, about 4-6 minutes.

Serve veg and catfish together.

Catfish Sinigang 2: Rhubarb

Made this recipe, sans leafy greens and substituting 5 stalks of rhubarb for the lemon, the day before yesterday. Didn't use enough, at least for my tastes - while the rhubarb did add a nice, subtle tartness to the soup, it wasn't quite the strong sourness I was looking for. Still very tasty, though - tester #1 concurs.

Cut rhubarb into 4-inch lengths. Boil in three cups of water for 15 minutes or until tender.

Remove from water. Strain and mash with a spoon to release additional liquid into the water.

Add green beans, onion and tomato and proceed as usual.

Poached Catfish with Ginger and Soy Sauce

This is one of my go-to recipes for catfish (which, as the tag cloud informs me, I eat more of than I thought): simple, quick and delicious. I can't recall if it's in the revised Bittman, but it's certainly in the first. Original recipe below, with my changes in italics:

• 2 tbsp. peanut oil
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced (original: 1)
• 5 tbsp. minced or grated ginger
• 1/2 cup water (broth works, too)
• 1/4 cup slightly diluted dry vermouth (didn't have any white wine, as per the original)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
• 1 to 1-1/2 lbs. catfish fillets
• 2 scallions, chopped, for garnish

In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium. Add the garlic and ginger and saute till the garlic begins to color. (NOTE: Bittman reserves 1 tbsp. of ginger for garnish at the end. I didn't.)

Add the liquid and turn the heat to high. Boil till the liquid's been reduced by about half - this should only take a couple of minutes. Season to taste.

Turn the heat back to medium and add the catfish. Cover and cook till fillets are no longer translucent - about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Garnish with scallions and serve.

Catfish Sinigang (Catfish in Sour Broth)

I haven't made this lately, but figured it would be a good one to archive here. This recipe is a rather modified version of the "Sinigang na Bangus" recipe in Filipino Cooking Here and Abroad.

• 1-1/2 lbs. catfish fillets
• 2-1/2 cups water
• 4-5 medium Roma tomatoes, cut into eighths
• 1 medium onion
• 3-4 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2-3 tbsp. patis
• salt for fish
• 1 lb. green beans, cut into 2-3 in. lengths (all the better to fit into Mr. Bento's soup compartment)
• 6 oz. spinach leaves (or more if you like), roughly chopped
• 2-4 baby bok choy, chopped - separate stems and leaves (optional but yummy)
  

Cut fillets into serving or half-serving sized pieces, depending on your inclination. Salt them.

Put water, tomatoes and onions in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook till vegetables are getting tender (maybe 5-7 mins).

Add green beans (or blanch them first and reserve till you add the fish - I've never been fancy enough for that option) and baby bok choy stems, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 4-7 minutes more, till beans are softened but not quite done.

Add lemon juice and patis. Correct seasonings.

Add fish. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until fish is opaque.

Remove from heat, add spinach and baby bok choy leaves. Cover and let stand for 2-3 minutes. Serve with patis and lemon to pass around.

Cheesy Catfish Chowder

So catfish was on sale at Peapod again. While I typically make catfish sinegang or Bittman's "Catfish Poached with Ginger and Soy Sauce," it was time to branch out. To the internet! And behold - this recipe (via Allrecipes.com) came to light. Did I have everything? Close enough. A search through the fridge produced a few stalks of limp celery and a half-bag of forlorn, drying carrots; an IM sent across the hall revealed both a baking potato and a large container of cow juice that I could borrow. Thus came about my first attempt at a milk-based soup - the version below incorporates my modifications.

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup; more is fine)
  
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrots
  
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 large baking potato, cut into 1/2-3/4 in. cubes
  
• 3 cups whole milk, divided
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp. celery salt
• 1 tsp. salt + more to taste (used maybe 1-1/4 tsp. total)
  
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper + more to taste (used maybe 3/4 tsp. total)
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1- 1/2 lbs. catfish fillets, cut into 1 inch pieces
• about 1 cup grated cheese (this time I used a mix of Parmesan and Parmigiano-Reggiano)
  

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter and saute onions, carrots and celery for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, till the vegetables soften a bit.

Add potatoes. Cook 10 or so minutes, so vegetables are soft but still firm.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour into 1-1/2 cups of milk. Add to Dutch oven and mix.

Add the rest of the milk, the salt, celery salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens - maybe 5-7 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning.

Add catfish. Cook another 5 or so minutes till fish flakes easily on a fork but isn't overdone.

Stir in cheese; cook another minute or so, then turn off heat. Serve with more grated cheese, if you like.

NOTE: This came out wonderfully - vegetables were cooked through but not mushy; the catfish was moist and soft and chewy. A bowl apiece is more than enough dinner for myself, John and Bradley; the rest is currently cooling on my counter.