Ginger Soy Glazed Fish - Under 20 Minutes!
I know I said this tastes like a Cantonese restaurant dish - and it does - but more importantly to me, it reminded me of my Ah Ma.
Growing up, she used to make pan fried batang fish with a soy sauce glaze similar to this. It’s a pity my Ah Ma & I had a language barrier and I was far too young to be in the kitchen to learn from her. But what she left me with was a palette that could differentiate food cooked with an honest & warm heart from food that was cooked just because (yknow just by someone employed and doing the bare minimum, not always, but there are places that serve food that tastes like this)
If you’re looking for a recipe you can cook for your family that taste honest, sincere & warm, this one is for you!
🧡 Why You’ll Love This
✅ Quick & easy
✅ No deep frying or breading
✅ You probably already have all the ingredients needed
✅ Great for solo lunches or simple family dinners on weekdays
✅ Tastes nostalgic
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 1 pax (feel free to double or triple the recipe as needed!)
Ingredients
200g barramundi (you can use other white fish like halibut or snapper)
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 - 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil (I used avocado oil)
Ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
Dash of white pepper
1 - 2 tbsp water
Garnish: Spring onions, fresh cut chillies
Method
Prep ingredients: Cut fish into bite-sized pieces and pat dry them well with paper towel. Coat evenly with cornstarch.
Peel and slice ginger
Make the sauce: In a bowl, mix soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, white pepper and water
Start cooking: Heat a pan and add oil to it
Sauté ginger strips on medium heat until fragrant and golden-brown. Set aside for topping later
Without throwing away the oil - it is now infused with ginger aroma - add coated fish pieces to pan fry. You can increase the heat slightly.
Let every surface of the fish crisp up, don’t flip or touch them too often!
Once fish is cooked: Lower heat to very low and add sauce mixture. You can turn off the heat if you feel the sauce is looking dry and the water has evaporated quickly. This can happen if you’re not using a nonstick pan like me. Add a bit of water if needed. If using nonstick pans, water tend to evaporate more slowly, but the resulting dish will be less ‘fragrant’.
You can spoon over the sauce so it glazes every piece of fish before serving onto a plate. Don’t overdo this step though, or the fish may risk being too salty.
Garnish with fresh spring onions, chilli padi and the crispy ginger strips you made earlier. Enjoy!~
Ginger Soy Glazed Fish
Whether it’s a solo lunch or a quiet dinner, this dish is a quiet reminder that cooking for yourself is always worth it. I go through phases of not really enjoying fish, I much prefer land animals haha. But this recipe reminded me that I enjoyed fish a lot as a child because the people in my life cooked it damn well❤️
