15 Minute Meals | RecipeTin Eats

Jerk Fish – for Jamaican week!

Nagi — Sun, 15 Jan 2023 04:02:12 +0000

Welcome to Jamaican week!🏝 Kicking off our Caribbean feast with Jerk Fish – pan-fried fish coated with Jamaican jerk seasoning that adds a stack of flavour and makes it crispy. Thin white fish fillets cook in 3 minutes which makes Jerk Fish a super fast dinner!

This Jerk Fish catapulted straight into my all-time top 3 fish recipes. I can’t stop making it!

Every now and then, I like to do a week of recipes for a themed menu. This week, it’s Jamaican week so you can make your very own Caribbean feast at home! Who’s in the mood for some tropical vibes??

🌴 Jamaican menu 🌴

Main – this Jerk Fish
Side salad – Jamaican Slaw
Side – Jamaican Coconut Rice and Peas (beans)
Dessert – rum and raisin ice cream without an ice cream maker!

Kicking off Jamaican week with the main – Jerk Fish!

Why you need Jerk Fish in your life

🌴 It’s Jamaican – so it’s cool. (Just ask Dozer, below).
🌴 Big, bold, Caribbean flavours using everyday spices: garlic, onion, thyme, paprika, all spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne.
🌴 It’s fine if you’re missing one or two spices cause there’s so many spices in it anyway.
🌴 Takes 3 minutes on the stove.

Don’t have fish? Use the jerk seasoning on chicken, shrimp/prawns or vegetables. Tips in the recipe.

A plate of Jamaican delicious….. Caribbean coconut rice and beans plus Jamaican Slaw recipes coming this week!

Flavour loaded crispy crust on juicy white fish is a match made in heaven….

What goes in jerk seasoning

Here are the spices you need for jerk seasoning. The perfect blend of savoury flavour, a hint of spiciness with the signature touch of sweetness. The smell when it hits the pan is intoxicating!

There’s so many spices in Jerk seasoning, if you’re missing one (or two…) it’s not the end of the world, you’ll still end up with a terrific Jamaican-(ish) spice blend. Here are substitution suggestions:

Garlic powder – more onion powder, and vice versa
Dried thyme – oregano
Brown sugar – 2 tsp caster sugar / superfine sugar
Cayenne pepper – Pure ground chilli, red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper or omit if you want not spicy
Smoked paprika – ordinary paprika
Allspice powder – Mixed spice
Cinnamon powder – Try not to leave this out! It adds an irreplaceable special touch.
Nutmeg powder – More cinnamon

Thin fish fillets = more surface area = more Jerk Seasoning = 🙌🏻

Fish for jerk fish

The fish pictured throughout this post is snapper, pictured below, but jerk seasoning will work with any type of fish fillet that’s suitable for pan frying as long as it is a thin fillet no thicker than 1.5 cm / 0/6″ at the thickest point. It needs to be thin so it cooks through within 3 – 4 minutes else the jerk seasoning will burn.

Use ANY thin fish fillets you want. It just has to be thin!

Snapper is a very popular fish here in Australia, beloved for the mild, sweet, delicate flavour, which is not “fishy” at all. The flesh is moderately firm and moist, and fillets are easy to cook evenly because they are flat with an even thickness (as opposed to, say, salmon, when some fillets have a very thick “hump” (the loin) though you can find thin salmon fillets (the tail end).

Don’t have fish? You can the jerk seasoning on chicken, shrimp/prawns or vegetables. Tips in the recipe.

How to make jerk fish

In a nutshell: coat fish in the jerk seasoning then pan fry for 2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute on the second side. That’s a 3 minute dinner – we need more of these in our life!!!

Jerk seasoning – Mix the jerk seasoning spices in a bowl.
Coat – Spread the jerk seasoning in a tray or plate just large enough to fit the fish fillets. Then coat each piece of fish with the seasoning, pressing to adhere. Shake off excess and put on a plate. Repeat with remaining fish.
Pan fry 3 minutes – Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat. As soon as you see the first small wisps of smoke, place 2 fillets in the pan presentation side down. Cook for 2 minutes on the first side until the surface is a deep bronze colour with a reddish tinge (don’t let it burn!), carefully flip then cook the other side for 1 minute.

CHEFFY TIP: How to flip fish properly

Fish is delicate so you have to flip carefully. I used to use a spatula plus a butter knife or my free hand to control the flip so the fish wouldn’t break.

Forget that! Here’s how chefs do it:

Tilt the pan slightly so the oil pools on one side and won’t splatter on you.
Flip the fish with a spatula “uphill” so you have the help of gravity slowing down the flip so the delicate fish will not break.

GAME-CHANGER! (See video at 33 seconds for a demo)

Rest 2 minutes – Transfer the fish to a rack and rest for 2 minutes. It’s best to use a rack to preserve the crispiness of the jerk-crust. If you use a plate, the underside will sweat and compromise the crispiness. Not the end of the world… but a rack is better!

Once rested, transfer the fish to a plate and serve!

That plate of down-home Jamaican goodness was my lunch. And I was very, very happy about it!

I shouldn’t confess this… but those “cocktails” are totally fake. Just OJ + water!!!

Jamaican week sides for Jerk fish!

To serve with your Jerk fish, two fabulous sides! Jamaican Slaw (shockingly delicious) and Jamaican Coconut Rice and Peas. And to complete your Jamaican feast, rum and raisin ice cream without an ice cream maker! This is one of those recipes I deem to be something money-can’t-buy because it has real rum flavour that you just won’t get in tubs from the shops.

This is a spread of seriously good food. I hope you enjoy Jamaican week as much as I have creating the recipes!!! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Jamaican Jerk Fish

Recipe video above. Jerk seasoning adds a stack of flavour and makes the surface crispy too. Quick way to make a dish that punches way above its weight for effort vs results. I've used it for white fish fillets here but it will be excellent with salmon, prawns/shrimp, chicken or turkey.

Spiciness – Packs a decent punch! See note for how to control.

Jamaican menu week! This Jerk Fish with Jamaican Slaw and Jamaican Coconut Rice and Peas (beans) plus rum and raisin ice cream without an ice cream maker for dessert!

Course Mains

Cuisine Caribbean, Jamaican

Keyword jerk fish, jerk seasoning

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 6

Resting fish 2

Servings

Calories 249cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Jerk seasoning (Note 1):

3 tsp garlic powder
3 tsp onion powder
2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (reduce to 1 1/2 tsp for table salt)
3 tsp dried thyme
2 1/2 tsp brown sugar , lightly packed (Note 2)
2 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (it's spicy! See SPICE NOTE)
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (sub ordinary paprika)
1 1/4 tsp allspice powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder

Fish:

4 x 160g/6 oz thin snapper or other white fish fillets , skinless, boneless (up to 1.5cm / 0.6″ thick, Note 3)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Jerk Spice Blend – Mix the Jerk Seasoning spices together in a bowl then spread in a small tray that is just large enough to fit one fish fillet.
Coat fish – Pat fish dry with a paper towel. Then coat both sides of each fillet with the jerk seasoning, pressing to adhere. Shake off excess, place on a clean plate and coat remaining fish.
Cook fish – Heat half the oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. When you see small wisps of smoke, place 2 fillets presentation side down and cook for 2 minutes.
Flip – the spice crust should be a deep bronze colour with a reddish tinge. Cook the other side for 1 minute until the target internal temperature is 55°C/130°F, or the fish flakes easily at the thickest point.
Rest on a rack for 2 minutes (to preserve crispy spice crust). Then serve! Recipes for pictured Jamaican sides coming on Tuesday – stay tuned!

Notes

SPICE LEVEL: Packs a good punch of spiciness, as is traditional! But it’s balanced out by the sweetness and other spices. If you can’t handle spicy food, reduce the cayenne. Just start with a bit then taste the spice mix.

1. Spices – There’s so many spices in Jerk seasoning, if you’re missing one (or two…) it’s not the end of the world, you’ll still end up with a terrific Jamaican spice blend! Here are substitution suggestions:

Garlic powder – more onion powder, and vice versa
Dried thyme – oregano
Brown sugar – 1 3/4 tsp caster sugar / superfine sugar
Cayenne pepper – Pure ground chilli, red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper or omit if you want not spicy
Smoked paprika – ordinary paprika
Allspice powder – Mixed spice
Cinnamon powder – Try not to leave this out! It adds an irreplaceable special touch.
Nutmeg powder – More cinnamon

Salt note: 2 tsp may sound like a lot but because we are using thin pieces of fish, there is a lot of surface area to cover, plus you won’t use all the seasoning (you need excess to properly coat fish). We tried this recipe with varying salt levels, and this is the right amount using cooking salt / kosher salt. If using table salt (which is finer), decrease to 1 1/2 tsp.

2. Brown sugar – just scoop then level the teaspoon measure. Don’t pack the brown sugar in tightly before levelling.

3. Fish – This seasoning will be terrific with any fish fillet suitable for pan frying. The only trick here is to use thin fillets up to 1.5cm / 0.6″ at the thickest point so it will cook through in 3 minutes per recipe, before the jerk seasoning turns too dark. Remember – as soon as fish hits the hot pan, it will contract and will increase to around 2cm / 0.8″ thick.

4. Other proteins: Thin chicken breast, thighs or pork steaks (either pound or cut in half horizontally), shrimp/prawns. Toss in seasoning then pan fry.

Vegetables: Par-cook the vegetables on the stove or BBQ then add the seasoning towards the end, else it may burn before you finish cooking the vegetables. Try thick slices of large mushrooms or eggplant steaks for a “meaty” meal. Alternatively, toss vegetables in olive oil + the seasoning then roast using using directions in these recipes (skip the seasonings/flavour, just use cutting, prep, bake temp + time) – broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, eggplant, Roasted Vegetables, Garlic Roasted Mushrooms, roast potatoes.

5. Leftovers will keep for 2 days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing.

6. Nutrition per fish assuming 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 teaspoons salt is consumed across all 4 fillets. See also Note 1 for salt note.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

Jamaican Dozer. Ya mon!

PS It’s totally photoshopped. Just couldn’t find a Jamaican dog costume, strangely. 😂

The post Jerk Fish – for Jamaican week! appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Baked Brie

Nagi — Tue, 28 Dec 2021 19:30:00 +0000

Introducing the world’s easiest party starter – Baked Brie! This is how how you transform a good value brie into a spectacular brie. It’s like the best cheese dip you will ever have!! An excellent option for a shared entree or party food that’s super quick and easy to prepare that has wow factor.

Serve with crostini or crackers (try these homemade fruit & nut crackers!).

Baked Brie

Baked Brie is, quite simply, the best melted cheese in the world. When you cut through the rind and the inside comes pouring out like lava, you’ll forget all your troubles. It’s like cheese-aholic heaven!

But cheese addiction aside, here’s the practical reason why Baked Brie needs to be on your radar:

It’s the world’s easiest appetiser / party starter!

Just pop a brie in the oven for 15 minutes, or microwave it for 2 minutes. Plonk on a platter, add a mound of crispy crackers and watch the hands dive in to do THIS:

And keep pulling up and up….. LOOK AT THIS CHEESE PULL!!!

How to make Baked Brie

I wasn’t exaggerating when I said you just plonk a brie in the oven. But here’s a practical visual for how to make it.

What to bake it in – use a round, shallow oven proof dish that’s a bit larger than the brie for baking and serving if you have one. It needs to be shallow, otherwise it’s hard to dip/scoop without touching the hot dish; OR
Place the brie on crumpled paper – this is what I do.This serves 2 purposes:
- safest way to transfer – Baked Brie is wobbly and delicate, and it would be a tragedy if that Baked Brie burst open mid transfer……
- the crumpled paper helps stop the brie from oozing out all over the table. Melted brie just needs a little bit of coaxing to stop it from running everywhere!

Baked Brie Practical Tips!

Best Brie for Baked Brie – Use an economical brie or camembert! Expensive brie would be wasted on this recipe, in my opinion, though it does work just as well with top end as it does budget brie.
How long it stays gooey – in a ceramic dish, it will stay scoopable for a good 15 minutes or so. On paper, around 10 minutes, then for another 10 minutes or so you can smear it on with a knife.
How to reheat – seconds in the microwave! A whole brie takes 2 minutes in the microwave, so use that as a baseline for leftover brie.
Leftovers – AMAZING! The honey / maple syrup will be mixed through when the cheese hardens and it just makes it all the more delicious. Who cares if you have to scrape up the dregs and pop into a small ramekin? OR pile it onto toast and grill! *She swoons at the thought*

Baked Brie is how you get gourmet flavour using a good value brie!

What goes with Baked Brie

Baked Brie is best served with sturdy crackers for scooping up the molten cheese – avoid chips and those wafer thin crackers for serving with cheese as they aren’t strong enough.

And while brie is rich enough and the cheese itself is flavoured enough so that even a plain Baked Brie is amazing, a simple (generous!) drizzle of honey or maple syrup certainly wouldn’t go astray. Sweet honey and the rich, savoury brie goes brilliantly and adds another dimension that takes it from OMG this is sooooo goooood!

Add a a simple bunch of grapes to the serving platter (fruit + cheese is classic, plus just looks good!), and your impressive easy appetiser is complete and ready to wow your family and friends!

“When you cut through the rind, the inside comes pouring out like lava. It’s like the best cheese fondue you will ever have.”

What did that take? All of 2 minutes effort on your part. Unwrap the brie, bake or microwave it. Open packet of crispy toasted bread (or make your own), plonk a bunch of grapes on the side. And voila! Your party starter is ready to impress your family and friends.

Make this once, then come join me at Cheese-aholics Anonymous! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Baked Brie

Recipe video above. The world's fastest finger food, this is like the best cheese dip in the world with wow factor! Just pop a brie in the oven for 15 minutes or microwave on high for 2 minutes (seriously, no one will EVER know). Use a budget brie or camember for this, top end brie would be wasted on this recipe.

Excellent shared entree or party food that's really quick and easy to prepare. Be sure to use sturdy plain or flavoured crackers, or crostini for scooping. Wafer thin crackers and chips tend to break.

Course Appetizer, Starter

Cuisine Western

Keyword baked brie

Prep Time 3

Cook Time 15

Total Time 18

Servings – 10

Calories 161cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

250 – 500g / 8 – 16 oz round brie or camembert (good value is fine! Note 1)
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup (optional)
1 thyme sprig (optional)

For Serving:

Crostini or other sturdy crackers
1 bunch purple grapes (or green, optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types).
Unwrap brie and place in a small, shallow ovenproof dish slightly larger than the brie (to be used for serving) OR a piece of crumbled baking / parchment paper (for transference). (Note 2)
Oven: Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (for 250g/80z), or until melted through. For 500g/1lb brie, increase to 25 minutes. To check, gently touch the centre of the brie – it should feel very soft, like it is about to collapse if you press any harder.
Microwave option: 2 minutes on high (no one will know!) in 30 second increments.
Carefully transfer to serving plate / board – it's delicate (transfer on paper if you used paper).
Drizzle with honey, top with sprig of thyme (if using).
Serve immediately with crostini on the side for scooping. Provide a knife to cut through the rind and a cheese or pate knife (or similar) to scoop cheese up onto crostini or crackers (plain or fruit/nut flavoured).

Notes

1. Brie –I recommend using an economical brie for this. This recipe works just as well with budget brie as it does top end. If I splurge on expensive brie, I serve it as is because I think it’s a waste to alter it! Camember also works.

2. Baked Brie Baking dish – the most practical way to bake / serve brie is if you have a shallow round ovenproof dish that is slightly larger than the brie. This will stop the cheese from oozing out everywhere when people start eating it but it needs to be shallow otherwise you’ll burn your fingers trying to scoop it!

If you don’t have one, do one of the following:

very shallow bowl or curved plate – the shape of which will hold the cheese in (ovenproof if baking, microwave proof if microwaving ie most normal dinner plates fine); OR
bake on crumbled paper per recipe directions – the paper makes it easy to transfer the Brie to a serving platter (Baked Brie is delicate and wobbly like jelly, and if it bursts you will cry). Plus by crumpling it, it actually (mostly) stops the cheese from oozing out onto the table (but really, you won’t be short of willing participants to dash forward and scoop up brie that’s oozing dangerously close to the edge of the serving platter!)

3. Over baking – check the brie at 15 minutes. If you can’t tell if it is ready by touching the surface of the centre of the brie, insert a skewer and if it comes out with melted cheese stuck to it, then you know it is ready. (If you overtake a brie, it goes hard in the middle)

4. Serving size – a 250g/8 oz brie will comfortably serve 6 people, if not 8 to 10. Brie is rich, and it’s made to seem even richer when melted. And also once melted, less goes further – the amount you can scoop onto a cracker is less than what you can cut & smear if it was not melted!

5. Honey / maple – I use both, it depends what I have on hand. I used to love maple more, but when I have a really good (local) honey, I prefer honey.

6. How long it stays gooey – in a ceramic dish, it will stay scoopable for a good 15 minutes or so. On paper, around 10 minutes, then for another 10 minutes or so you can smear it on with a knife.

7. Leftovers – AMAZING! The honey / maple syrup will be mixed through when the cheese hardens and it just makes it all the more delicious. Who cares if you have to scrape up the dregs and pop into a small ramekin? OR pile it onto toast and grill! *She swoons at the thought*

How to reheat – seconds in the microwave! A whole brie takes 2 minutes in the microwave, so use that as a baseline for leftover brie.

8. Nutrition per serving (assumes 6 servings, 250g/8oz brie, excludes crostini)

Nutrition

Originally published November 2014, updated with new photos and recipe video in October 2019, refreshed again in 2021. No change to recipe!

Life of Dozer

When the treat jar is so close…yet so far… (and so empty…?)

SaveSave

The post Baked Brie appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Pad See Ew (Thai Stir Fried Noodles)

Nagi — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Pad See Ew – the popular Thai stir fried noodles straight from the streets of Thailand made at home! While Pad Thai is sweeter and nuttier, Pad See Ew is salty, balanced with a touch of sour and a wonderful chargrilled flavour which you can create at home!

This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!

Pad See Ew

Pad See Ew, which means “stir fried soy sauce noodles”, is an extremely popular Thai street food meal and one of the most popular noodles dishes at Thai restaurants here in Australia.

Making a great Pad See Ew at home simply comes down to two things:

The right sauce. Basic recipes online will instruct you to use little more than just soy sauce and sugar. It takes a little more than that!
Caramelising the noodles – Getting a little caramelisation on the noodles makes all the difference between an “ok” and “wow, it’s JUST like you get at restaurants!”.
The trick? Remove the stir fry ingredients. Cook the noodles with sauce separately. Less stuff in the wok (or skillet) = easier to caramelise the noodles. At least, at home. If you’ve got a giant restaurant wok burner, you don’t need to do the noodles separately!

What goes in Pad See Ew

I can’t remember where I originally got the recipe from. Probably from David Thompson, the famous Australian chef who has dedicated his life to mastering the art of Thai cooking. I’ve made it so many times over the years, I can almost make it with my eyes closed. (Not really….but you know what I mean!)

So I had to actually measure the ingredients properly to share the recipe!

1. Pad See Ew Sauce ingredients

Pad See Ew has a sweet-savoury-touch-of-sour flavour, and this is made with a combination of the following ingredients:

Dark soy sauce – For flavour and staining the noodles a dark brown.
Ordinary or light soy sauce – For seasoning (salt) and a bit of flavour. Most of the flavour comes from the oyster sauce and dark soy sauce. More on different soy sauces and when you can substitute with what in this About Soy Sauces post.
Oyster sauce – Key ingredient, it’s like 10 difference sauces mixed up in one bottle!
Vinegar – To balance the sweet and savoury. Some form of sour is a key ingredient in South East Asian cooking!
Sugar – For sweetness.

2. Pad See Ew ingredients

And here are the other ingredients for Pad See Ew:

Noodles – Pad See Ew is traditionally made with Sen Yai, which are wide, thin fresh rice noodles that are not easily accessible. Even most Asian stores in Sydney do not sell them – you usually need to go to a Thai grocery store.
So it is perfectly acceptable, and just as delicious, to make them with any wide flat rice noodles. I use dried rice noodles labelled as “Pad Thai” Rice Noodles (pictured below) because they are the widest available at the supermarket.
Once rehydrated, they’re essentially Sen Yai Noodles – just not quite as wide.
Chinese Broccoli / Gai Lan – This is a key authentic ingredient in Pad See Ew. Otherwise known as Gai Lan or Kai lan, it’s leafy and looks quite different to broccoli, but you’ll notice a similarity in the texture of the stems (hence the name).
If you can’t find it, just sub with other Asian greens, or a combination of broccoli or broccolini + spinach.
Chicken and egg – Feel free to use other proteins if you wish. But chicken is by far the most popular.

How to make Thai Stir Fried Noodles

Usually when making stir fried noodles, we toss everything together in one big pan or a wok.

But for Pad See Ew made at home, I do things differently to best replicate a restaurant flavour and minimise noodle breakage:

Cook chicken and vegetables first, then remove
Add noodles and sauce, toss to caramelise (just 15 seconds), then add chicken and vegetables back in.

Reason: A signature flavour in Pad See Ew is the caramelisation of the noodles. Restaurants and street vendors achieve this with super powered gas stoves with fiery heat that you’ll never find in a home kitchen. The only way to replicate that caramelisation on the noodles on a home kitchen stove is to declutter the wok and cook the noodles separately – the noodles will caramelise in 15 seconds.

The other reason is that rice noodles break if you toss them too much. Doing the two-stage toss makes it much easier and faster to disperse the sauce and bring the Pad See Ew together.

Trust me on this point. I’ve made a LOT of Pad See Ew at home in my time, and the two-stage toss it the easiest and most effective technique!

Garlic, chicken and Chinese broccoli STEMS first – Using either a wok or large skillet set over high heat, heat the oil then sauté the garlic until it goes light golden. Add the chicken then once it mostly changes from pink to white, add the Chinese broccoli stems which take longer to cook than the leafy part.
Once the chicken is cooked (it should only take 2 to 3 minutes), toss the Chinese broccoli leaves in and cook for 30 seconds or so just until wilted.
Push everything to the side to make room to scramble the eggs on the side. This is the traditional Thai way of scrambling eggs in Pad See Ew!
Crack egg straight into the wok.
Scramble egg – Then mix to scramble it. Speed is of the essence here – we want scrambled egg not a sunny side up egg!

Empty wok – Remove the chicken and vegetables onto plate. As mentioned above, the best way to cook Pad See Ew at home is to cook the noodles separately so we can get some nice caramelisation on them. If we don’t do this, then the noodles just stew instead of caramelising.
Add noodles and sauce into the wok.
Toss quickly for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until the sauce is dispersed throughout the noodles and you see some caramelisation on the edges.
PRO TIP: You want to be quick here because the longer and more you toss, the more noodle breakfast you have. You’ll notice restaurants typically toss the noodles in the wok without using a wooden spoon or other tool for stirring – this too helps to minimise noodle breakage.
A note on Noodle Breakage – That said, you WILL get some noodle breakage, and that is normal / perfectly acceptable. Ever notice how the wide, flat noodles in Pad See Ew served at Thai restaurants are not long strands? That’s just the way it is. In fact, traditionally, Pad See Ew is served in Thailand with a FORK or spoon instead of noodles for ease of eating.
Add chicken and veg back in – Once the noodles are caramelised, add the chicken and vegetables back in. Give it a quick toss just to disperse, then serve!

As with all stir fries, once you start cooking, it moves very fast! So have everything prepared and ready to throw into the wok because there’s not time to be scrambling around the kitchen!

If you want to add a fresh side, try this Asian Slaw – it’s a great all rounder that goes with all Asian foods. – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!

Pad See Ew – Thai Stir Fried Noodles

Recipe video above. Pad See Ew (which means Stir Fried Soy Sauce noodles) is one of the most popular Thai street foods. Traditionally made with Sen Yai which are wide, thin rice noodles which are not that easy to come by. So use dried rice noodles instead – I've eaten enough Pad See Ew at Thai restaurants to assure you that there is no compromise on flavour!

KEY TIP FOR SUCCESS: Cook the chicken separately from the noodles. Home stoves are no match for the fierce heat of restaurant and street vendor burners. You have to cook separately to get caramelisation on the noodles which is key for authentic flavour. If you don't, the noodles will just stew and your dish will lack flavour!

Course Noodles, Stir Fry

Cuisine Thai

Keyword Pad see ew, Thai stir fried noodles

Prep Time 8

Cook Time 10

Total Time 18

Servings – 3 people

Calories 510cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

Noodles

200g / 7 oz dried wide rice stick noodles , or 15 oz / 450g fresh wide flat rice noodles (Sen Yai) (Note 1)

Sauce

2 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 2)
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce (or all purpose, Note 3)
2 tsp white vinegar (plain white vinegar)
2 tsp sugar (any type)

Stir Fry

3 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil , separated
2 cloves garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 cup / 150g / 5oz chicken thighs (boneless, skinless), sliced (Note 4)
1 large egg
4 stems Chinese broccoli (Note 5)

Instructions

Preparation:

Chinese Broccoli – trim ends, cut into 7.5cm/3" pieces. Separate leaves from stems. Cut thick stems in half vertically so they're no wider than 0.8cm / 0.3" thick.
Noodles – Prepare according to packet directions and drain. Time it so they’re cooked just before using – do not leave cooked rice noodles lying around, they break in the wok.
Sauce – Mix ingredients until sugar dissolves.

Cooking:

Heat oil: Heat 1 tbsp oil in a very large heavy based skillet or wok over high heat.
Cook garlic and chicken: Add garlic, cook 15 seconds. Add chicken, cook until it mostly changes from pink to white.
Chinese broccoli STEMS: Add Chinese broccoli stems, cook until chicken is almost cooked through.
Chinese broccoli LEAVES: Add Chinese broccoli leaves, cook until just wilted.
Scramble egg: Push everything to one side, crack egg in and scramble.
REMOVE chicken from wok: Remove everything in the wok onto a plate (scrape wok clean).
Caramelise noodles: Return wok to stove, heat 2 tbsp oil over high heat until it starts smoking (HOT is key!). Add noodles and Sauce. Toss as few times as possible to disperse Sauce and make edges of noodles caramelise – about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
Add chicken back in: Quickly add chicken and veg back in, and toss to disperse. Serve immediately!

Notes

1. Noodles – Pad See Ew is traditionally made with Sen Yai fresh rice noodles which are wide, flat rice noodles. These are hard to handle and quite difficult to find, even at Asian grocery stores – you need to go to a Thai grocery store.

Easiest to use wide, dried rice stick noodles. I use Pad Thai noodles, the widest you can find at supermarkets.

Fresh rice noodle – Feel free to use, follow the directions in Char Kway Teow to prepare the rice noodles for cooking.

Other noodles – can be made with other noodles, fresh or dried, rice or egg noodles. However, I do not recommend using vermicelli as it is too thin for the strong flavours of the sauce.

2. Dark soy sauce has a stronger flavour than ordinary and light soy sauce, and stains the noodles brown. Can sub with ordinary soy, but noodles won’t be as dark and flavour will be slightly less strong.

3. Light soy sauce – Do not substitute with more dark soy sauce, the flavour is too intense. More on different types of soy sauces here.

4. Chicken – You can substitute the chicken with other proteins suitable for stir frying, even tofu or prawns.

5. Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan, kai lan)If you can’t find Chinese broccoli, you can substitute with other leafy Chinese vegetables such as pak choy or bok choy. Or use broccolini – cut them in half lengthwise.

6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 3 servings.

Nutrition

Originally published 2014, updated 2016. Updated over the course of the years with improved photos, the addition of ingredients and process photos as well as a recipe video. Recipe also updated with a more effective cooking method – cooking the ingredients in two batches. No change to ingredients, but yields a better caramelisation and easier to cook – read in post for explanation.

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Crispy Skin Fish

Nagi — Sun, 03 Oct 2021 23:09:37 +0000

Pan-searing to achieve a crispy skin is one of the most delicious and quick ways to cook a piece of a fish! To nail shatteringly crunchy skin every time, you just need dry skin, hot oil and press down lightly to help the skin contact heat as it cooks. I’m making a Crispy Skin Barramundi today, but this recipe can be used for any fish with skin that goes crispy.

Crispy Skin Barramundi (or other fish!)

Barramundi is one of Australia’s favourite fish. It’s loved over here for its meaty, juicy flesh and its wonderful skin, which crisps up to form a fantastic glass-like sheet of golden fish crackling when cooked properly.

It helps that barramundi is available everywhere these days such as all the mainstream grocery stores, and is one of the better value fish around. Of course, as with any seafood, fresher and better quality fish costs more but is always worth it!

Today, I’m sharing a recipe for how to cook barramundi with crispy skin. But the method applied in this recipe will work for any fish with skin that will go crispy (no, not all fish gets crispy skin!).

Crispy Skin Barramundi served over French Lentil Ragout which does double duty as a side and sauce.

Crispy Barramundi served with No Stir Baked Creamy Lemon Risotto

What you need to cook fish with crispy skin

Fish, oil, salt and pepper!

Fish fillets with the skin on – Yes, shocking, I know, we need fish fillets with the skin on! 😂 It should come pin boned (ie. all bones removed including the tiny ones along the lateral line), scaled, clean and ready to cook. This work is why we pay a premium for fish fillets at seafood shops, compared to buying a whole fish that we have to clean and fillet ourselves!
As mentioned above, I’m using barramundi today. For other fish, see the list here: Fish With Skin That Goes Crispy. That page also includes a list of fish that will not go crispy.
Olive oil, or other cooking oil of choice.
Anybody who tries to tell you that crispy skin is possible with butter is lying to you because butter is ~15% water, which stops the skin from going crispy. Ghee and clarified butter, on the other hand, is another story and makes a wonderfully flavoured cooking fat for fish!
Salt and pepper – Not just for seasoning, the salt also helps the skin go crispy due to its dessicating effect.

How to make fish skin crispy

Dry skin. Hot oil. Put fish in pan skin side down. Press down lightly to make the skin seal. Easy, right?

Note: If you’re cooking salmon, use this recipe instead: Crispy Skin Salmon.

Dry skin – Pat skin dry with a paper towel or clean tea towels. The drier the skin, the better the crisping. Crispy anything doesn’t like moisture because the moisture has to evaporate first before crispiness can start to happen, which takes a lot of energy.

Slit skin (recommended for thick fillets) – A recommended but not critical step to ensure more even cooking of the flesh and skin, is to cut some shallow slits in the skin. This also helps prevent skin curling and shrinking away from the sides which is a common pitfall people experience when cooking fish.
This is particularly recommended for thick fillets, such as the barramundi pictured in post.
Skin scoring is a recommended rather than must-do step because experienced cooks can likely cook almost any fish just as well without without slitting the skin. But for less experienced cooks, it definitely does help with more even cooking.
How to score fish skin – With the fish flesh side down, use your fingers to squeeze the thick “hump” of the fish fillet to tighten the skin. This makes it easier to cut the slit.
Using a sharp knife, cut slits in the skin, as follows:
– 4 cm long, 1 cm apart, 3 mm deep (1.6″ long, 0.4″ apart, 0.1″ deep)
– Cut through the skin and a tiny bit into the flesh. Don’t worry, slits will not cause the fish to lose moisture and dry out!

Season fish – Sprinkle both the flesh and skin side with salt and pepper just before cooking. Don’t season the fish ahead of cooking as it will draw moisture out of the fish skin, making it wet → compromises crispiness!
Hot oil and a light press – Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Look for shimmering oil and little wisps of smoke as a sign it’s hot enough. As soon as you see them, place the barramundi fillets in skin side down.
Using an eggflip or spatula (flexible is best), press down lightly on the fish for 10 seconds. This forces the entire skin to contact the pan’s heat, which will soon “set” the skin and flesh benath, preventing the fillet from curling and thus promoting even cooking of the skin.

Cook skin 2 to 3 minutes until lightly crispy – Cook the fish skin side down until it’s light golden and quite crispy (lift up to peek). For this barramundi, we will finish cooking in the oven during which time the skin will get fully crispy.
Oven 10 minutes for THICK fillets – For thick fillets, transfer the fish to the oven in the skillet. Do not flip, leave the fish skin side down.
For thin fillets, just turn the fish and cook the flesh side in the pan.
General note – I don’t finish crispy skin salmon in the oven because it’s served medium-rare (50°C/122°F) as well being an oily fish which means it’s more forgiving. But for other fish, we target a slightly higher internal temperature so it’s best to finish in the oven so it cooks through more evenly.
Remove from oven – Cook the fish in the oven for 10 minutes or until the internal temperature is 55°C / 131°F at the thickest point. This is when the fish is fully cooked but at optimal juiciness. If you don’t have a meat thermometer (but you should, it’s the 20th century! I use a Thermapen), check to see if the flesh flakes easily.
Rest 3 minutes – Place the barramundi on a rack skin side up to rest for 3 minutes. Resting allows the juices in the barramundi to redistribute throughout the flesh so it’s juicier when eating. If you skip the rest, the juices will run everywhere when you cut into it rather than staying in the flesh and ending up in your mouth … sad!
Resting done, time to eat! See below for suggestions for sides.

What and how to serve with Crispy Skin Fish

There’s two big rules here:

Always serve crispy skin fish with the skin side up; and
Only sauce it just before serving! Fish skin is actually quite delicate, it won’t hold crispiness for as long as, say, crispy baked chicken or chicken wings.

Saucy Sides

I like to serve crispy skin fish with “saucy” sides that do double duty as a sauce and side dish. And sometimes, they cover my starch + vegetable quota too, such as the Lentil Ragout pictured throughout this post!

French Lentil Ragout (as pictured in post)
Easy no-stir Lemon Herb Risotto (as pictured in post)
Pea Puree – vibrant green colour looks terrific against the fish!
Creamy mashed cauliflower – Very fine dining restaurant worthy. Blitz thoroughly to get it as smooth as possible. You could even pass it through a fine mesh strainer!

French Lentil Ragout (seriously delicious!)
Easy BAKED Lemon Herb Risotto (no stir!)
Pea Puree makes a beautiful sauce/side for fish

Sauces for Crispy Skin Fish

And here is a selection of sauces for fish

Creamy white wine sauce*
Bearnaise Sauce
Garlic butter for fish*
Lemon butter for fish (Beurre noisette)
Lemon Cream Sauce (use slider to scale recipe down)
Dill Garlic Herb Sauce* for fish (scale recipe down)

* Make these in the same pan while the fish is resting.

If you try this recipe, tell us what you made in the comments section below! What fish you used, what sides and what sauce. Other readers love getting new ideas – as do I! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Crispy Skin Fish

Recipe video above. Fish with crispy skin is one of the most delicious quick ways to cook a piece of protein! To nail it every time, you need dry skin, hot oil and to press down lightly to let the skin seal against the hot pan.

I'm using Barramundi here but this recipe can be used for any fish with skin that goes crispy – see Note 1.

Stove to oven method recommended for thick fillets so for most even cooking of flesh with super crispy skin – see Note 3. Thin fillets can be cooked entirely on the stove. Scoring the skin is recommended for thick fillets for even cooking of the flesh and skin, plus an insurance policy to prevent the skin from curling up.

Sauces and sides – See Note 7!

Course Fish, Main

Cuisine Western

Keyword barramundi recipe, crispy skin barramundi, crispy skin fish

Prep Time 3

Servings

Calories 266cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

180g/6oz x 2 barramundi or other fish fillets , skin on, pin boned (Note 1)
2 tbsp olive oil (or vegetable, canola or grapeseed oil)
3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt, Note 2)
1/4 tsp black pepper
Sauces and sides – see Note 7 below

Instructions

Preparation:

Thick Fillets definition: Fish > 2.5cm / 1" thick at the thickest point. Best finished in the oven. (Note 3)
Pan type: Non-stick pan, an oven proof one if you have Thick Fillets. (Note 4)
Preheat oven (for Thick Fillets): Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan).

Cooking:

Dry skin: Pat skin dry with paper towels. For extra precaution, leave the fish fillets in the fridge skin side up, uncovered, for an hour. (I rarely do this)
Scoring skin (Note 5): For Thick Fillets, score the skin by cutting slashes into the skin as pictured in post. 4cm slashes 1cm apart, 2 – 3mm deep, through the skin and ever so slightly into the flesh (1.6" long, 0.4" apart, 0.1" deep)
Season fish: Sprinkle the flesh and skin with the salt and pepper just before cooking.
Heat oil well: Heat oil in a non stick pan over medium high heat until you see the first small wisps of smoke.
Press fish down: Place one fillet into the pan skin side down, then use your fingers or spatula to press down lightly for 10 seconds to allow the skin to seal flat against the hot surface. Repeat with the other fillet (PROS: Do both at the same time!).
Cook skin 2 – 3 minutes: Cook the skin side for 2 to 3 minutes until it's crispy in the centre and golden. Lift up to check.
Transfer Thick Fillets to oven: Transfer to oven for 10 minutes (do not flip, keep skin side still down – goes crispier!) or until the internal temperature is 55°C/131°F. (Note 6)
Thin fillets: Turn and cook the flesh side in the pan.
Rest 3 minutes: Transfer fish to a rack with the skin side UP. Rest for 3 minutes.
Serving: To serve, place on a plate skin side UP. Do not pour sauce on the skin until just before serving else it will soften the fish skin. See ingredients above for suggested sauces and sides!

Notes

1. Fish – 180g/6oz is a standard portion size per person for fish.

Fish with skin that goes crispy that can be used for this recipe – see full list in the Fish With Skin That Goes Crispy post. Here’s the most common fish:

Barramundi – as used in this recipe
Bream
Blue eye cod / trevalla
Cod
Jewfish
Ocean perch
Orange roughy
See Bass
Salmon – see Crispy Skin Salmon recipe
Snapper
Tilapia
Trout – Ocean trout and river trout

If you are filleting your own fish, I will be impressed – brag in the comments below and tell me what you caught!

If you using store bought fillets, they should already come pin boned (ie bones removed) and descaled (ie scales scraped off). But it’s always wise to check, just in case!

2. Salt – All my recipes use cooking salt (same as kosher salt) which are larger grains that table salt so they are easier to handle for cooking purposes. So if you only have table salt, use less for the equivalent saltiness.

3. Thick fillets – For fillets > 25.cm / 1″ thick, it is best to start on the stove then finish in the oven so the flesh cooks through evenly. If you don’t, you will end up with a thick band of overcooked flesh before the middle cooks through. Also best to keep the skin side down – it’s the optimum way to achieve the balance of ultra crispy skin with the most evenly cooked flesh.

Exception – Salmon which can be entirely cooked on the stove because it’s an oily fish and also because it is best served medium rare (ie slightly less cooked than white fish). See separate recipe for Crispy Skin Salmon.

4. Oven proof pan – If you don’t have one, transfer the pan seared fish to a pre-heated tray for the baking part. Make sure the tray is preheated well then take it out, spray with oil and put the fish skin side down on it. Bake per recipe.

5. Scoring skin – Easiest way to do this is to grip the flesh on either side of where you want to cut the slashes which will tighten the skin which makes it easier to cut. See video at 16 seconds.

6. Cooking time will vary depend on the thickness of the fillet. The 2.5cm / 1″ thick barramundi fillet weighing 180g/6oz took exactly 10 minutes in the oven. Note: thin fillets can be cooked entirely on the stove.

7. Serving options:

Sides that act as a sauce for the fish: