This simple and delicious Fish Congee is especially heart warming and satisfying on a cold day. It is light, tasty, and naturally gluten free.
Congee (rice porridge) or moey in my mother tongue, Fujianese is a comfort food like none other. It was the first solid food taken by me, my two boys, and countless others in a rice base culture. It is easy on the tummy, healthy, delicious, and a breeze to cook. Meats, fish, seafood, eggs, and vegetables can be added to make it a complete stand-alone dish eaten any time of the day.
Chicken Congee is a top favorite but so are Minced Pork Congee and this tasty Fish Congee. The preparation is basically the same except that fish is added only towards the end because it cooks so easily. Sometimes a little pickled radish is thrown in to give it an additional boost of flavor. Do not omit the garnishes as they are part of the dish. Yew char kway (Chinese crullers) may be omitted to keep it naturally gluten free.
Any kind of fresh white fish may be used for Fish Congee. The fish should be thinly sliced and marinated prior to adding to the congee. Sea bass, grouper, and cod are all good choices. If whole fish is used, be aware of the bones when eating the congee. Ginger is a must in Fish Congee to neutralize any “fishy” odor that may arise if the fish is not super fresh. Ginger also provides a little heat and is soothing for the tummy especially in this cold weather.
Fish Congee
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh white fish (sea bass, grouper, cod) (450g)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1½ cups rice (rinsed and drained) (300g)
- 1 inch ginger (peeled and slightly smashed) (30g)
- 10 cups water (2.4 liters)
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (optional)
Garnish
- 3 green onions (finely sliced)
- 2 inch ginger (peeled and finely julienned) (60g)
- A few sprigs of cilantro (stems removed)
- Fried shallots
- Yew char koay (Chinese crullers)
- Sesame oil
- Soy sauce
- Ground pepper
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry fish with paper towels. Using a very sharp knife, thinly slice fish at an angle.
- Combine fish, soy sauce, pepper, and sesame oil in a bowl. Mix well and allow it to marinade for 30 minutes.
- In a large pot, rinse rice till water runs clear, about 3 to 4 times, drain.
- Add smashed ginger and 10 cups (2.4 liters) water to the rice and set it on the stove to boil. When water comes to boil, remove lid and allow it to simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes. If porridge gets too thick at any point, stir in ½ cup (120ml) water to dilute.
- Add marinated fish and salt to the porridge. Stir to get everything well mixed. Let porridge come back up to a boil and allow it to cook for another 3 minutes.
- Stir in fish sauce, if using. Turn off heat.
- Serve in individual bowls topped with green onions, ginger, cilantro, fried shallots, and yew char koay. Drizzle with a few drops of sesame oil and soy sauce. Add a little more pepper if desired.
Nutrition
Here is my delicious bowl of comfort. Do give it a try and also check out my other congee recipes in the links below.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
Dr. Winfred Winfield says
Yum yum; where is your restaurant? My wife and I would like to go on a genuine fish porridge date. We were in Singapore over a year ago for a month. Seriously, many of the foods that my wife grew up with like Hokkien Mee, wanton soup, chicken rice or even siew pow kai, I prepare a much delicious meal than what we had eaten there. We were so disappointed. I find that a cultural disgrace as a culture should value its food that came along. So your porridge looks so yummy, I want to eat the picture. Take care.
Linda says
Thanks Dr. Winfred! Always good to have you visit. Over the years, many of the original hawkers have either retired or left the country and sometimes the younger generation is not keen to learn the trade. Therefore, the deterioration. I find that to be true in Malaysia as well. I am happy to hear though that you are an excellent cook. Your wife is truly blessed. Take care and God bless!
Jill Colonna says
Linda, you already had me at the comforting bowl but when you said it’s a breeze to cook, that’s it! Looks so tasty and perfect for this wintery Paris weather for a touch of the exotic. I won’t quite look at my Scottish porridge in the morning quite the same 😉
Linda says
Thanks Jill! This truly is comfort food at its best. It is something I grew up with and love to this day. Good to have you visit. Stay warm. 🙂
DongXing says
That’s what I would have liked for lunch at work today when the weather outside was simply AWFUL!!!! The south of England had seen far too much rain and floods, with more to come…. I love congee of any type but fish is the ultimate best for me. I love it for the slivers of fine ginger, white pepper powder and soya sauce. My kids are not a fan of congee but if I sprinkle some fried baby anchovies on top of the congee and put extra anchovies aside to munch later, I can just about persuade them to eat it… Happy Valentine tomorrow and also Happy Chap Ngoh Mei to you and the family, Linda!
Linda says
I can eat congee just about every day. It is so warm, comforting, and delicious. Fried anchovies is a great condiment for congee. Can’t blame your kids for liking it. I hope you had a lovely Valentine’s Day as well as an auspicious Chap Goh Mei.
Ramona says
Would love to try this hearty dish… especially on such a snow filled day. 🙂
Linda says
Do give it a try Ramona. I think you will enjoy it.
Beth Watson says
How many calories are in this? It looks amazing and I have everything to make it tonight!!!! Thank you for sharing!
Linda says
Unfortunately, I do not have that information Beth but I am sure it can be easily computed with one of the calorie counters out there on the web. I hope you enjoyed the dish. Thanks for stopping by.
Philip says
Looks great, thanks for posting the recipe and beautiful pictures. Off to the grocery store to buy some white fish!
Linda says
You are welcome, Philip. Happy cooking!
Spenja says
Hey. The congee looks quite good and I think i will give it a try soon. But I have a couple of question before that.
1) would you recommend to add the fish sauce ? Since i have bever used it I have no clue how it tastes like and so I am not sure how it benefits (or not )to the
flavour.
2) if I would like to add fish balls. When should I add them to the congee ?
3) is basa fillet fine ?
Thank you for answering. Your blog is amazing 🙂
Linda says
1) The fish sauce gives the congee just a little umami flavor. Fish sauce on its own has a strong smell and taste. When added to soups in small quantities, it provides additional flavor. You can certainly leave it out if you prefer not to use it.
2) I would not recommend adding springy/bouncy fish balls in congee. It is okay if it is the soft kind. I don’t think it will not taste bad but it is usually not done (at least to my knowledge). You will find springy fish balls in clear noodle soup but seldom if ever in congee. Perhaps it is a texture and safety issue.
3) I just did a search on the web. Basa is like a catfish? It should be fine. Any mild white fish can be used.
Thanks for the compliment! 🙂
Jessica says
Thank you for the recipe. I have made it twice now in the past month! It is so delicious, even without the garnishes (which I didn’t have the first time I made it). I love the delicate flavor of the fish combined with the ginger. It is definitely a warming food for this frigid February.
Linda says
So glad to hear you enjoyed this fish congee. 🙂 It is perfect for cold mornings like this one. Woke up to -10 degrees F this morning…brrr!
Kerry says
Made this tonight, thanks for the recipe! I used (thawed) frozen basa fillets and added water as needed as I cooked the congee longer to break up the rice.
Sumaiya Tan says
Made this for my 16mth old today. She loved it!
ELSIE MATHEW says
Hi Linda,
Thank you for your fish congee recipe. I had one in Malaysia while recuperating from a surgery. Today my husband is sick and he wanted congee. I googled and found your site. Can’t believe it, my girls who do not eat fish licked up the congee and my husband did not have the chance for a second helping!! I added tomatoes and a little lemon for a tangy taste. Thanks heaps for your congee recipe.
Cheers from Melbourne,
Elsie
Linda says
You are welcome. So glad to hear your family enjoyed the congee. I hope your husband get well soon. Perhaps you can also make him this Chicken Congee.
Ming says
This is absolutely delicious, and so easy! I’ve made it many times since trying out the recipe. So happy I found this, thank you!
Miki says
This dish is ALMOST gluten free. Soy sauce unfortunately has gluten in it, but it still looks delicious. I would just substitute the soy sauce for a gluten-free one!
Linda says
Yes, the congee itself is gluten free. Thankfully, we can npw get GF soy sauce. Liquid Amino is also another option.
Carley Ruane says
So easy on a sensitive stomach and a lovely way to use, gently cooked, leftover fish.
Much appreciated Linda
Linda says
You are welcomed!
Steph says
Thank you for the recipe, my daughter has been sick for a few days and refuses to eat. I made this for dinner and she gobbled it up! Thank you again!
Linda says
You are most welcome. Glad to hear she finally ate something. I hope she gets well soon.
John Potter says
In 2015, my wife and I toured China for two weeks. A standard breakfast offering at every hotel was congee. Although most of the tour group favored more western type breakfast fare (eggs, bagels, cereal), my wife developed a taste for congee. I have attempted to make it several times since our return but never with a great deal of success.
Last night I baked codfish for dinner with short grain rice as a side dish. We had a nice sized piece of cod and a couple of cups of rice left over. My wife sighed and said, “These would be great for congee…” I decided to rise to the challenge.
An internet search for congee recipes turned up multiple options. After rejecting a number of options, I found this site, read the ingredients and instructions, then perused the comments. Rising early this morning, I put everything together and had hot congee ready when my wife woke up. She was very pleased – said it was delicious. I even had some. Although my end result was thicker than what was served in China, I expect that a hotel would thin their congee to make a pot go farther. We did not have any of the garnishes, so ate it plain – the ongoing quarantine situation has curtailed most grocery shopping – but it was still a tasty breakfast dish. I will definitely make it again.
The changes I made were these:
Used low sodium chicken broth instead of water (per my wife’s request)
Minced and added a large garlic clove
Added finely chopped slice of onion (no green onion in the refrigerator)
No extra salt added (the broth, fish sauce, and soy sauce provided sufficient sodium)
Linda says
Way to go with leftovers. `If you prefer it to be thinner, simply add some hot water to thin it. Congee is very forgiving in that manner.