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Asian fish and peanut sauce noodles - easy dinner recipe. Here I cooked black cod fish and combined it with fettuccine noodles coated with the homemade peanut sauce. Everything is made from scratch. The peanut sauce here is very simple and is somewhat of a cross between Pad Thai and drunken noodles.
I love the idea of combining fish with pasta, but not all pasta and fish combinations work well in real life. What I found, however, is that using Asian flavors to create a base sauce for pasta and fish is always a win. For example, if you haven't yet tried my recipe for Asian salmon and noodles with snow peas and mushrooms - please do! It's really good and ridiculously easy to make, it remains one of my top recipes of choice for making dinner at the end of the hard work day. And now, let me introduce you to my other recent favorite, Asian fish and peanut sauce noodles (black cod with peanut sauce fettuccine):
This recipe is also very easy to make, and, let's face it, you can't really go wrong with a peanut sauce and noodles. So, by choosing peanut sauce for my noodles, I was already off to a good start! Then, I just added a high quality fish, black cod in this case. The peanut sauce here is very simple and is somewhat of a cross between Pad Thai and drunken noodles. If you like either one of those dishes you will love this recipe! I make the peanut sauce by first combining fish sauce, honey (or brown sugar if you don't have honey), rice vinegar and red pepper flakes in a pan and heating the ingredients until they all mix together, and honey becomes liquid and easy to stir. Then I add some coconut milk and just a tablespoon of red curry paste - I like to use a very spicy one, such as of Mae Ploy brand, but Thai Kitchen brand will work too. Finally, I add a very creamy peanut butter - I used Skippy brand in this recipe. You don't want to add "real" or homemade peanut butter because it will not be able to blend in as well, use Skippy or Jiffy brands istead for guaranteed results. Stir this peanut butter mixture on low-medium heat until everything is well combined:
Then, I cook rice stick noodles or fettuccine pasta (if you don't have rice noodles) according to package instructions and add to the sauce:
Then, the only thing you have left to do is to sear fish fillets on very high heat and make a very simple and quick glaze to pour over the fish. Searing the fish is very easy as long as you get your skillet really hot. Only when the skillet is very hot do you add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, which should immediately sizzle and even smoke a bit. Then you add fish fillets seasoned with salt and pepper, without crowding them, and sear for about 2 minutes on each side.
What's great about this recipe is that you are not limited to a certain type of white fleshed fish. I cooked black cod for this recipe, which is what you see on these photos - because I have lots of it in my freezer, and I find black cod to be very forgiving and impossible to screw up while cooking: it's a very flaky and buttery fish, and it does not dry out easily. But, in reality, you can use any other white fish such as tilapia, sea bass, halibut, mahi mahi, etc.
Asian fish and peanut sauce noodles
Ingredients
Ingredients for peanut sauce and noodles:
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- ⅓ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter (Skippy creamy peanut butter works well)
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 4 oz fettuccine (gluten free or regular)
Ingredients for the glaze:
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
- 2 tablespoons lime juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Ingredients for cooking the fish:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 24 oz black cod or other white flesh fish (tilapia, halibut, mahi mahi, sea bass)
- salt and pepper
- ¼ cup green onions chopped
Instructions
Make the peanut sauce noodles:
- Mix first 4 ingredients for the peanut sauce in a large pan, heat it up on low-medium heat, stirring to melt honey. Then add peanut butter, coconut milk and red curry paste, continuing to stir until very creamy. If it is a little bit watery – that’s fine.
- Cook rice noodles or fettuccine according to package instructions. Add noodles to the peanut sauce, keep it on warm (if you have that setting) or off the heat – otherwise too much liquid from peanut sauce will evaporate
How to make the glaze:
- To make the glaze: combine 2 tablespoons of brown sugar or honey, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar in small sauce pan, cook on medium-high heat until the glaze thickens slightly. Set aside and keep covered while you cook fish:
How to cook fish:
- Season fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet on high heat until very hot. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil – it should sizzle immediately. Add fish fillets to the skillet without crowding them, and sear about 2 minutes on each side. I’ve used black cod but any other white fish will work too.
- To serve, place a scoop of peanut sauce noodles in the middle of the plate, top with the fish fillet, pour some glaze over, making sure you have enough glaze for other fish fillets. Sprinkle with chopped green onions or chives on top, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Ohmygosh!! This is one plate of deliciousness!! I love asian fish and peanut sauce noodles already makes me drool 🙂
Yum! Julia, this looks amazing! Peanut butter, fish sauce, honey, noodles, fish...love every single component of this dish! I must make this soon...
This fish recipe looks truly irresistible!
Love the combination with peanut sauce noodles, so tasty.
What a wonderful recipe. I am a huge fan of peanut sauce and fish. I have never tried it together. Sounds and looks amazing! I'll have to give this a try. Thanks!
Peanut sauce noodles with just about anything sounds good to me, but the fish looks very good!
You're right that not all pasta dishes with fish work well. The more Asian they are the better - unless it is pasta alla marinara, of course. Your recipe looks simple and tasty.
I so agree with you! I've tried so many recipes trying to use both fish and pasta together, and it gets tricky! Using Asian flavors with fish + noodles always works!
Hi Julia, We just signed up for a fish delivery service. Every week, we get 2 different kinds of fish caught off Cape Cod. My husband used to work on the Cape for a few weeks every summer. One night, he had a halibut dish similar to your recipe. He still raves about it. You've inspired me with your red curry and coconut milk sauce. Must make this as soon as our fish arrives!
Oh, how wonderful that you will be getting regular supply of fresh fish now! I still have quite a few fresh fish fillets in the freezer that were shipped to us fresh from Seattle seafood market. Nothing compares to fresh seafood!
The second photo made me salivate!!!!!!! This dish of fish and noodles should be called: Spreading the love!!! Have a great weekend, Julia!!!
Thank you, Denise!
Oh Julia this looks amazing!! I looove pad thai and all sorts of (asian) noodle dishes so I'm definitely gonna make this one 🙂 Looks mouthwatering!!
xox Am
Thank you! I love Pad Thai and drunken noodles and all types of Asian pasta dishes too!
Here in the Netherlands peanut sauce is sold pre-made, but it's so thick and too sweet I find. I'm going to try yours looks (and reads) just perfect!
I find the same true for the store-bought peanut sauces here in the US. I alwasy prefer to make my own vs. buying it in the store: it's easy and the flavor and the texture are so much better!
YUM! I just had this!! Mom in law was over and loved it too, and she was surprised it was so QUICK to make too! I just totally forgot the chives for garnish... next time 🙂
http://instagram.com/p/aWCZ-GwqQU/
How cool - you made it and took a photo! Looks good!
Oh, my... I think I'm going to have to make this... 🙂 beautiful!
I looooove peanut sauce, and this looks amazing! I rarely make fish, which is weird because I love it. I will def have to check out some of your fish recipes!
I make fish all the time! Half the stuff does not even make it to my blog.
This would be great with sea bass!
It would amazing with sea bass!
We just ate a very similar dish this week..I do like asian noodles w/ fish:) They go well together..We loved the combo..thanks for your recipe!
🙂
I made asian chicken in the wok tonight..new recipe..and let's just say I am giving my newish red cast iron wok to my daughter:)
It weighs a ton:(
Ha-ha! I don't even own wok, but I need one!