Lake Trout can be One Good Recipe

We grew up with my mom's homemade food that lived in our memories. Our mom never allows us to complain or be choosey of food. She always cooks whatever our dad like to have for dinner. She might be right as there are four siblings and she couldn't make each and everyone happy. But most of the time our mom cook fish with lemongrass flavor in chili broth. This became our favorite as we grew up eating that homemade recipe.

In the summertime in Minnesota, I enjoy shopping at the farmer market because of local authentic Asian vegetables are available. As weather colder in fall in the month of October, the markets are closed for the winter. We always look forward to the opening days of the farmer markets after cold bitter winter is over. During winter we rely on the big chain and Asian groceries to get what we want.

I tried cooking the fish with lemongrass with frozen fish but it is not fresh and flavorful as the fresh, local lake trout. Lemon basil is always available in the summertime so we can use it to have the enhanced flavor of this fish and lemongrass sauce.

Fish with Lemongrass Broth (2- 3 serving)

Ingredients

2 lb      Lake Trout cleaned and cut into 3 pieces each
2 stalk  Lemongrass clean and pounded
1 cup    Fine chopped shallot ( or yellow onion)
1 tbsp   Fine chopped ginger
1 tbsp   Chili Powder
1 tsp     Turmeric Powder
3 tbsp   Canola Oil
3 tbsp   Lemon Basil leaves
2 tbsp   Fish Sauce
1.5 tsp  Salt

Instructions

1.  Clean and cut the fish into 3 pieces. Then marinate with salt and turmeric powder.

2.  In the dutch oven, add oil and heat up with the medium-high heat on the stove top.

3.  Stir onion and ginger together with chili powder. Add a 2 tbsp of water to make the onion soften.

4.  When all the water from chili mixture reduced, add the fish pieces into the pan and mix with chili oil then add the fish sauce and pounded lemongrass.

5. We need to make sure fish and chili mixture are blended with fragrant with fish sauce.     Stir and flip fish pieces each time we stir.

6. When the liquid reduced and fish is fragrant with all flavors, add 1/2 cup of water and cover the pot.

7. When it boils, turn down the heat and let it simmer for 5 more minutes.

8. Finally, add the lemon basil leaves on the top of the fish and cover the pan for few more minutes.

9. Turn off the heat and enjoy with white jasmine rice.

10. We may add whole okra to that fish curry but it is optional.