You’ve probably noticed the Hungarian theme over the last few posts. That’s because this month’s Food of the World featured country is Hungary. There are so many delicious foods I had a difficult time choosing which one to feature and ended up making several. Today’s offering is a magnificent fish with a creamy ginger sauce called gyömbéres hal.
During my research I came across several variations. Some had more sauce than others, some had an Asian flair with the addition of soy sauce. They all sounded good. In the end I stuck with this recipe for the most part, even though he forgot to mention the cream and uses an extraordinary amount of nutmeg. It was the one that originally caught my eye.
What’s the best type of fish to use?
Use any type of mild tasting firm white fish you like and is available to you. Look for filets at least 1/2 inch thick. We used perch. The fishmonger cut the fish into fillets and we cut them into smaller chunks at home. Other good choices include tilapia, cod, bass, hake, haddock, catfish, and snapper. People in Central and Eastern Europe like carp.
Normally I’ll have my fish either baked, broiled or pan fried. My favorite is “a la plancha” where the fish is split and cooked on a flat top. It’s rare that a sauce is involved, except maybe a little butter or oil.
Fish with ginger cream sauce was a nice change of pace for us, although I got carried away with the red chili and ended up putting it to the side. It reminds me more of a stew. If you double the ginger cream sauce you’ll have extra to spoon over noodles or rice.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fish cut into portions
- 1 cup onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup red bell pepper thinly sliced
- pinch red pepper flake optional if using hot peppers
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 - 2 tablespoons grated ginger substitute a teaspoon of powdered ginger; add more if needed
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 red chili or other hot pepper chopped (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup cream
Instructions
- Sprinkle the fish on both sides with salt and pepper, set aside.
- In a large skillet or dutch oven, heat a the red pepper flakes in olive oil. Saute the onions and peppers until softened.
- Stir in the ginger and season with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle the flour around and stir until it begins to change color. Add the cream and nutmeg and stir until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Push the veggies to the side of the pan and nestle the fish into the sauce.
- Arrange the vegetables on top of the fish. Move the vegetables to turn the fish as needed.
- The fish is finished when the color is opaque and it flakes easily. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
- Transfer the fish to a serving dish and garnish with parsley and red chili, if using.
Like the other Hungarian dishes I made (creamed peas and scalloped potatoes) the addition of the cream makes it a rich dish…I don’t recommend serving them at the same meal(!). I served my fish with ginger cream sauce accompanied by rice and broccoli rabe and squeezed some lemon over the plate. It was fabulous, as were the leftovers I had for lunch the next day.
More easy seafood recipes:
What a delicious and flavor fish dish.
Thanks, Pavani. It was very different from the fish we normally eat.
In it something is Thanks for an explanation, I too consider, that the easier the better … Dona Arthritis in fingers
A Hungarian recipe without paprika. I am intrigued. Pinning
There’s plenty of hot red pepper. Don’t get carried away 🙂
Interesting recipe, think I’ll try it with canned coconut milk and tapioca to fit into my dietary restrictions, but think it will work well, I’ll let you know.
I’ll bet that would be great!
This was awesome! I had to leave out the peppers, because my husband doesn’t tolerate them, and used basil instead of parsley, because that was what I had on hand, but even with the deletions and the substitutions, it was great!
I’m glad it worked out for you, even with the substitutions 🙂