Chinese New Year Fish

In Chinese food, fish is a must-have ingredient for Chinese New Year because it’s auspicious.

Fish is “yu” (鱼) in Chinese; it means abundance and a symbol of great fortune and prosperity. Chinese New Year meals will not be complete without a fish as one of the main courses!

Traditional, Chinese people eat fish as a whole, with its head and tail. Whole fish signifies wholeness, which is a lucky symbol. However, not everyone loves whole fish, so I developed this Ginger Soy Fish using halibut fish fillet.

Halibut

Halibut is a type of flat fish, with a delicate flavor. It’s a white fish and the flesh has a semi-firm texture. It’s a good fish to eat and perfect for pan searing, sautéing or grilling.

Try to buy Pacific halibut as it’s sustainable. Avoid buying Atlantic breed because it’s over fished. You can get live halibut at some seafood stores but it’s very expensive. A live fish is about $60.

You can get halibut fillet for cheaper price as it’s commonly available in many supermarkets. Frozen halibut tends to be rubbery and dry after cooking, so try not to buy frozen halibut fillets.

How to Cook Halibut?

Ginger is the secret ingredient in this pan seared halibut recipe. Ginger imparts an amazing nuance to halibut fish and rids it from potential fishy odor.

It’s important that when cooking halibut, you gently flip the fish over with a pair of chopsticks or wooden spatula. This will prevent the fish from breaking apart. To serve, top the fish with the ginger strips, chopped scallion and serve it with warm steamed rice.

This is one of the best halibut recipes. The fish is doused in a savory and utterly delicious soy sauce. Try my ginger soy fish recipe. Enjoy!

How Many Calories Per Serving?

This recipe is only 348 calories per serving.

What Dishes to Serve with this Recipe?

This meal is best served with steamed rice. For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

Wonton Soup

Cashew Chicken

Ginger Soy Bok Choy

Yield: 2 people

Ginger Soy Fish Recipe

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Ginger Soy Fish - crispy and perfectly cooked fish in a mouthwatering sauce. Topped with ginger and scallion, this recipe is so good with steamed rice!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 oz. halibut fish fillet or other white fish (please see recipe notes)
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1 2-inch piece ginger
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped scallions

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 dashes ground white pepper

Instructions

1. Cut to the fish into thick, but bite size pieces. Add corn starch to the fish fillet.
2. Coat the fish with the corn starch. Set aside.
   
3. Peel the ginger, slice and cut into thin strips.
   
4. Mix all the ingredients for the Sauce in a small bowl. Stir to mix well and make sure that the sugar melts.
5. Heat up a non-stick skillet or well-seasoned wok with the cooking oil on medium to high heat. When the oil is fully heated, add the ginger and stir-fry until they turn light brown. Remove them from the oil and set aside in a bowl.
6. Using the ginger-infused oil, pan fry the fish until both surface turn light to golden brown. Make sure you turn the fish very gently with spatula or tong, or preferably with a pair of long cooking chopsticks. Fish fillets are very delicate; you don't want to break them up while pan-frying.
7. Add the Sauce to the fish. As soon as the sauce bubbles. Turn off the heat and dish out. Top the fish with the ginger strips and scallion. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
   

Notes

What is a white fish? White fish refers to a group of fish with white flesh, for example: halibut, pollock, cod, snapper, sole or flounder. You want to use firm white fish as it’s easier to cook.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size

2 people
Amount Per Serving Calories 348Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 83mgSodium 1122mgCarbohydrates 11gSugar 6gProtein 33g