Laotian Catfish Soup

Name: Laotian Catfish Soup
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: asian
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds catfish fillets; 12 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped; 3 to 4 Thai chilies, seeded and finely chopped; 3 (double) fresh makrut lime leaves, stem and main vein removed, finely chopped; 1 4-inch piece fresh lemongrass, thinly sliced; 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped; 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil; 1 quart chicken broth or water; 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; 2 1/4-inch-thick slices peeled galangal (fresh or frozen), optional; 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter; 1 can (about 14 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk; 6 tablespoons Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro; Cooked jasmine rice (optional)

By Julia Reed

Total Time: 25 minutes
Rating: 5(38)
Notes: Read community notes

Featured in: FOOD; Cat Fight

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

1½pounds catfish fillets
12garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
3 to 4Thai chilies, seeded and finely chopped
3(double) fresh makrut lime leaves, stem and main vein removed, finely chopped
14-inch piece fresh lemongrass, thinly sliced
2shallots, peeled and finely chopped
2tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1quart chicken broth or water
2tablespoons fresh lime juice
2¼-inch-thick slices peeled galangal (fresh or frozen), optional
¼cup smooth peanut butter
1can (about 14 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
6tablespoons Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce
2tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves
2tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
Cooked jasmine rice (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Cut the catfish fillets into strips about 1 inch long by ½ inch wide, place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Step 2
Sautè the garlic, chilies, lime leaves, lemongrass and shallots in the oil in a deep skillet over medium heat until very fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth or water, the lime juice and the galangal if you're using it and heat the mixture to a slow simmer.
Step 3
Whisk the peanut butter and 2 tablespoons of the coconut milk in a small bowl until blended and then whisk it into the garlic mixture. Stir in the fish and remaining coconut milk and simmer gently until the fish layers separate when prodded with a fork, about 2 minutes. Stir in fish sauce, basil and cilantro and simmer 2 minutes. Serve immediately, with rice if desired.

Tip

Thai chilies, makrut lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal and fish sauce are available at Bangkok Center Grocery, 104 Mosco Street (between Mott and Mulberry Streets), 212-349-1979.

Ratings

5 out of 5

38 user ratings

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Note!2 months ago

A bit bland for my taste! An exciting new way to cook catfish though.

Vtle1 year ago

This turned out to be really delicious, my partner loved it! Substituted galangal with ginger and lemongrass with extra lime juice. Made a slight modification by adding 2 tablespoons of my favorite curry powder after whisking in the coconut milk for a creamy curry vermicelli noodle soup. Garnished with cilantro and crushed roasted peanuts. Peanut butter should not be the dominating flavor, as you're just deepening the coconut milk.

Ron Nemirow2 years ago

Made as written except Safeway didn’t have lemongrass & so substituted Meyer lemon zest. I liked it but my wife, who eats fried catfish all the time, found the catfish off putting for some mysterious reason

cao2 years ago

Made the recipe as is (including the ginger), except for substituting walleye for catfish (because that’s what was available), and paired it with Amanda Hesser’s NYTCooking recipe for basmati rice with coconut milk and ginger. Topped the whole thing with extra cilantro and sliced red jalapeños. The entirety was perfection! Absolutely, incredibly delicious. Will be making this again and again.

cao2 years ago

PS—Markrut lime trees grow wildly well (year-round) potted in windowsills in the U.S. Midwest, as does lemongrass, in an outdoor pot (from U.S. Midwest summer through autumn), which is why we had these on hand.

Marcel3 years ago

Works well with rice noodles, too.

Allyson4 years ago

I had to substitute zest of two limes for the lime leaves; I'd recommend saving some of the zest to mix in at the very end, rather than adding it all during step two, because the flavor did get a bit lost. I'm excited to try it with the lime leaves. Didn't seed the chilis, and it still wasn't too spicy. Recipe takes way longer than 25 minutes. Just peeling and cutting 12 garlic cloves took almost that long, but it ended up being worth it.

Carita5 years ago

At first I thought there might have been a type O regarding the quantity of 12 chopped garlic cloves in this recipe. That being said, I decided to go ahead and make it exactly as described with the exception of adding chopped baby bok choy in the last two minutes. This recipe elevated cat fish to a new level; it was extraordinary. Will make again with one change; will not seed the thai peppers.

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