Really Simple Stir-Fried Fish, Vegetables, and Rice

I love one-pot meals (or in this case, a one-skillet meal). Stir fries are an easy way to make a quick, interesting, and nutritious meal. This is the one I had for dinner tonight, and this is how to make it (if you'd like a tutorial on vegetarian stir frying click here).

Dice or slice a couple handfuls of vegetables; for a stir fry this should always include onions and peppers in some form. The vegetables I used were onions, orange bell pepper, and broccoli. I didn't have ginger on hand but I did garlic (because I put garlic in almost everything that I make), so I minced some of that also.

The fish I used was tilapia, because that's what I had, but you can really use any firm seafood that will hold up to stir-frying (chicken, pork, or beef--or tofu, if you want to go vegetarian--would work well in this recipe also). Anyhow, I diced the fish, sprinkled it with a couple tablespoons soy sauce, then tossed it in a couple tablespoons cornstarch, and let it rest while I cooked the rice and had a glass of wine.

Cook some long grain rice in broth (I used chicken) with a little curry and a couple whole chilies. Use the ratio of two parts liquid to one part rice; cook it covered for 18 minutes covered, then shut it off and let it rest while you prepare the stir fry.

This is where it gets really simple, but more importantly, fun. Heat a large skillet or wok with a little peanut oil. When the oil is very hot, just when it begins to smoke, add the marinated fish and brown it.


Remove the fish to a plate and set aside. Return the skillet or wok to the flame (you may need to add a little more oil). Add the vegetables, first the onions and peppers, then the garlic, then the broccoli, and stir fry for a few minutes until it starts to brown. Sprinkle the vegetables with a little soy sauce (this will flavor it, and also create enough steam to loosen anything stuck to the pan), then add the fish back to the pan and toss gently.

Add some or all of the rice (and a little more soy if necessary) and gently toss together.

What really made this meal special was that I just opened a fresh batch of kim chi, and man is it a good one. Spicy, yes, but not overly so. It has a really sour flavor (which I like), and is so alive that it feels almost carbonated on your tongue. If you want to read an older post about kim chi, and other fermented foods, click here.