Cantonese Fish Congee
Silky rice porridge infused with ginger and topped with tender white fish, crispy shallots, and fresh scallions. A warming, restorative one-pot meal ready in under 45 minutes.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 385
- Protein
- 24g
Ingredients
- ¾ cup short-grain white rice
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons, minced fresh ginger, peeled
- 8 ounces white fish fillet (cod, halibut, or tilapia), skin removed
- 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 whole scallions, trimmed
- ¼ cup crispy fried shallots or garlic chips
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer under cool running water, stirring gently with your fingers for about 30 seconds until the water runs clear — this removes excess starch so the congee will be creamy, not gluey.
- 2
Mince the ginger until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice — about the size of pencil-tip dots — and set in a small bowl.
- 3
Lay the fish fillet flat on a cutting board, then slice it at a slight diagonal into 1-inch-wide strips about 2 inches long, like cutting ribbons across the grain.
- 4
Slice the scallions crosswise into thin rings — separate the white parts from the green parts and set them in two different small bowls.
- 5
Pour the broth into a large pot and bring it to a boil over high heat, watching until you see large bubbles rolling rapidly across the surface, about 5 minutes.
- 6
Add the rinsed rice to the boiling broth, stir once, and reduce the heat to medium-low so the broth maintains a gentle simmer — you should see small bubbles breaking the surface slowly.
- 7
Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring once every 5 minutes to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom, until the rice grains break apart easily when you press one between your fingers.
- 8
Stir the minced ginger into the congee, then add the fish strips one piece at a time, stirring gently after each addition so they separate and cook evenly.
- 9
Simmer for 3 minutes without stirring, until the fish is opaque throughout when you cut into the thickest piece — it should not have any translucent or gray areas.
- 10
Remove the pot from heat, then stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil until fully blended.
- 11
Ladle the congee into two bowls, dividing the fish and broth equally between them.
- 12
Scatter the white scallion rings, then the green scallion rings, and finally the crispy shallots over the surface of each bowl in a thin, even layer.
Tools you’ll need
- large pot (at least 3-quart capacity)
- fine-mesh strainer
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- small bowls (2–3)
- wooden spoon or large spoon
- ladle
- serving bowls (2)
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