Thai Fish and Noodles

Did everyone have an awesome Thanksgiving?! We sure did. We spent the long weekend in Missouri and Arkansas with friends and family. Even though it was only 4 nights, it felt like a real vacation which was nice. And for once in my life I didn’t have any travel issues. It was a Thanksgiving miracle!

We flew to St. Louis on Wednesday to visit our good friends who live there. When we landed it was snowing. A teeny tiny part of me enjoyed it– it was pretty, at least! On Thursday morning, the 4 of us drove down south to Nick’s dad’s house and managed to stuff ourselves silly. On Friday, the boys went fishing and the girls did some serious damage Black Friday shopping. It was so fun to see family and friends and enjoy some non-California scenery.

I missed Harvest Friday’s since we were out of town (and I completely forgot about it until the calendar on my phone reminded me when I was hundreds of miles from home without my computer). But my garden is still going strong.

My basil and Thai basil lasted long past summer but they were just about getting to where they needed to be pulled up. I remembered I had seen a recipe calling for Thai basil that had sounded delicious, so before I pulled it up I decided to use it up! This recipe is from Cuisine at Home magazine, which is one of my favorites. I’ve never had a bad recipe from them! This Thai Fish and Noodles calls for lots of fresh herbs. We love Thai food, so it sounded right up our alley. I used Thai basil, mint and a jalapeno all from my garden, and the halibut we used was caught by my in-laws in Alaska!

Thai Fish and Noodles

(adapted from Cuisine at Home magazine)

• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• Zest of 2 limes
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 lbs halibut or other firm white fish
• 8 oz rice stick noodles
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp coconut oil, divided
• 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup mint, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup Thai basil, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions
• 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
• Lime wedges, for serving

In a medium bowl, whisk together shallot, fish sauce, garlic, jalapeno, ginger, sugar, lime zest and turmeric. Add the fish and toss to coat. Cover and let the fish marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 5 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare the rice noodles according to package directions and set aside.

Remove fish pieces from marinating liquid (reserving liquid) and stir fry in half the coconut oil until fish is cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer cooked fish to a bowl.

Heat the remaining coconut oil over high heat and stir fry the noodles 1 minute until heated through. Add the marinade and the fish and cook another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, mint, basil and scallions. Serve immediately topped with peanuts, extra herbs and lime wedges.

This dish was seriously amazing. There are so many different bright, fresh flavors. Between the fresh herbs, garlic, lime and ginger… wow! And the rice noodles are the perfect medium for soaking it all up. Nick stopped at every bite to say, Oh my gosh this is so good. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

If you love Thai fish dishes, check out these other great ones!

Broiled Halibut with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce

Thai-Style Halibut with Coconut Curry Broth