Cooking with the Bubba: #4- Thai Porgies

Here's a different way to serve the lowely Long Island porgy, abundant through September and October.

Ingredients (for two portions): 3 or 4 porgy filets (unless they're BIG porgies, then 2 will do), 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 cup fresh whole basil leaves, 1 scant quarter teaspoon Thai curry paste, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil, 1/2 teaspoon hot oil, 1 tablespoon jarred chopped garlic in oil or fresh chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon ketchup, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or 3 tablespoons lemon juice.

Preparation: Rinse fish filets, rub with hot oil, drizzle with vinegar or lemon juice and the soy sauce. Put aside for 10 minutes. Meanwhile rinse and dry the basil leaves and preheat a medium sauteeing pan.

Cooking: Add the peanut and sesame oil to the hot pan and sautee the garlic over medium heat until slightly golden. Add the fresh basil leaves and sautee until wilted then pour in the marinade from the uncooked fish, add the ketchup, curry paste and stir well. Now add the fish and any remaining juices to the pan and sautee until cooked (about 8 minutes), turning the fish over once during cooking. Carefully slide the fish onto a serving plate, then heat the remaining sauce over high heat until slightly thickened (adding a little water or chicken stock if necessary) and pour over the porgies.

Serve: over a bed of Asian rice noodles or glass noodles with a nice Thai salad (recipe coming). HOME