Catfish Soup

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Delightful, and a real surprise! I'd always thought of catfish as "fishy", but here it's sweet and luscious. Observations: 1-Leave lemongrass and ginger in large pieces and remove them before serving the soup--the former will still be too woody, and the latter too chewy, even after cooking is done. 2-Cut catfish into 1/2" cubes pieces instead of 1", because I found myself mashing the 1" cubes in the serving bowls to distribute the fish better throughout the broth. 3-Even if you fear a whole habanero (and I did and/or don't like cilantro, give the proportions a try as written--the slivers of habanero only flavor the broth and do NOT make it too hot, unless you bite into it, that is, and the strong, sometimes soapy taste of cilantro is not noticeable, either. And both the green bits and the orange slivers are important to the visual appeal of the soup!

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Fantastic recipe! Quick and easy with minimal cleanup.

One recommendation: If you're sensitive to heat, cut the amount of habanero you add in half. It will still have plenty of heat and will more likely satisfy the varying tastes of a crowd.

Bon apetit!

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Super Tasty, mmmm....delicioso!!! I did take the galangal and lemon grass out after simmering the vegetables, (I added mushrooms, carrots and celery to the recipe and before adding the fish. Thank you, Alton!

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Delicious! AND I had to make lots of substitutions. It is still wonderful, so I imagine if I did everything per recipe, it would be even more over-the-top! Quality and taste of soups I order in Thai restaurants. I couldn't find dashi, so I used chicken broth. I couldn't find fresh lemongrass, so I used lemon grass in a tube like toothpaste, found in produce section. This actually worked better, because it blends smoothly into the soup, so no woody pieces as others have mentioned. I also scooped the julienned ginger out BEFORE adding the coconut milk (so you can still see the pieces. Did not use pepper or cilantro, because we don't like them. And we still got moist, tender fish in a scrumptious, creamy broth!Highly recommend!

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This is my new favorite soup, the flavors were wonderful and the catfish was perfectly cooked. If you can't find lemongrass, which I couldn't, substituting ~1/2 tsp lemon zest and grated ginger (each will work in a pinch. Also, I thought the julienned ginger was too tough to eat. Next time I'm either going to dice the sticks up or maybe just cut them wafer thin instead of like match sticks as per the episode.

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I will say, I was rather taken aback by the changing aromas, as I went through the process of making this dish. From the Dashi to the Catfish, each new addition changed how the soup smelled, and not always pleasantly. But, don't let that discourage you! This dish is absolutely delicious, easy to execute, and nutritious!

By my third round, I made some changes based on personal preferences: I simply split the lemongrass, then remove before serving, and Julienne only half the Galangal, grating the other half. I also add about a quarter Tsp. lime zest, simply because I love the stuff.

Well done Alton and crew!

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I think next time I make this soup I'll run it through a strainer to remove the galangal and lemon grass before adding the fish. The woody texture make them a tad inedible and, trust me, you won't want to have to waste time sifting through the bowl for the fish.

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The first bite of this soup took me off guard. It was just so amazing and flavorful that I actually couldn't believe I had cooked it! he citrus and saltiness are perfectly balanced with the cream of the coconut and the amazing tenderness of the catfish. I recommend this to anyone and everyone! FANTASTIC!

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Besides including fantastically fragrant ingredients, the catfish really makes this soup - small chunks of tender fish in a rich, flavorful, slightly-nutty, broth (I used pre-packaged catfish fillets that were on sale. I recommend adjusting the cut of your ginger (I used regular and lemongrass depending on whether you're going to eat the pieces you'll get in each spoonful. I made about 3c of strong dashi (via granules for this recipe (to expend it a bit, used extra cilantro, "lite" coconut milk and added almost a full small carton of sliced white mushrooms that I cut into strips (threw them in while the dashi was simmering so they could absorb and soften a bit. All flavors/spiciness are adjustable in this recipe. HIGHLY recommend!