A tropical crop in the the north country? Why not? The fresh ginger harvest is starting in the Northeast, and it’s a delightful addition to our meals.
For the last five years or so, fresh ginger has appeared at our farm stands in late summer and fall. Until then, I had never seen or tasted the succulent, flavorful fresh rhizomes, depending on the standard grocery store offerings which are much older and less pungent. Thin-skinned and intense in flavor, fresh ginger is definitely a tropical treat, that grows surprisingly well here.
Let’s try something different
Our farmers realized that ginger loves our long summer daylight hours and humid climate. Rhizomes are purchased from Hawaii in spring and planted in greenhouses where they are nurtured all summer with care. One farm stand employee planted hers outside in her garden with no special covering, and is having a lovely crop this year.
Ginger leaves?
I happened upon some beautiful rhizomes at a local farm stand this week, and to my delight they kept the leaves intact. Another first for me, I’d not used the leaves and stems previously, and found they are lightly scented of ginger as well. There wasn’t much on-line about what to do with them, other than chop then finely and use as a garnish or toss into soups and stews or make a tea. I did find one recipe for using the stems for a ginger syrup, which was basically just infusing a simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) with the cut-up and bruised stems. The ginger stem syrup came out delicious!
Not just a tasty spice
Ginger has been used medicinally for thousands of years. It is a great antidote for nausea, is a strong anti-inflammatory, and has been noted as having a positive effect on blood pressure. It will also add a little zip to many recipes, and is delicious fresh, steeped, cooked, candied, pickled, and in syrups.
Easy grating
Tuck extra ginger in the freezer. It will keep all winter, and is a breeze to grate when it is frozen. The skins are so thin on these new rhizomes that they don’t need to be peeled. Actually, I rarely peel even the older ginger, just grate it all up and don’t bother with that awkward scraping of the peeling with a teaspoon, or a paring knife that takes half the flesh.
Let’s add some orange
Ginger and citrus are great companions, and marmalade was calling my name with its slightly bitter notes. Some lovely cod at the fish market, and this dish sort of created itself. You can quite easily substitute tofu for the fish, and everyone is happy.
Of course there are alternatives
It is easy, quick, and quite tasty. If you can’t find fresh ginger, use what your market carries, just add a bit more. Don’t worry if you don’t have the leaves, their addition to the recipe is rather subtle, and probably more decorative. You can also substitute another favorite white fish, or the mentioned tofu.
Don’t waste the sauce
Serve with rice and fresh vegetables, roasted or steamed. The sauce is nice drizzled over it all.
Time to eat!
Fresh Ginger and Marmalade Glazed Cod
Serves 4
- ½ to 1 oz. fresh ginger, grated on microplane
- 1 tbsp. fresh ginger leaves, finely minced
- 1 tbsp. scallions, minced
- 2 tbsp. marmalade (I used Dundee)
- 2 tbsp. mirin, or white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp. tamari
- 2 tbsp. orange juice
- Zest of ½ orange
- 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- 1 heaping tbsp. grainy mustard
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 lb. cod, cut into segments
- More scallions to garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together all the sauce ingredients, starting with the lesser amount of ginger. Taste. Do you need to add more ginger, or more of something else? Place the cod in a baking dish and add the marinade, turning the fish over to coat all sides. Season with pepper if desired, but you will not need salt. Let sit for 20 minutes.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the fish is tender. Serve with rice and vegetables, drizzled with the sauce.
Vegetarian Alternative:
You can quite easily substitute firm tofu for the white fish!
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What a gorgeous recipe!
Thank you! It’s really easy too.
Nothing beats fresh Cod and this looks delish.
Thank you so much! Cod is one of our favorites.
This sounds delicious, Dorothy. Your cod is similar to out hake I think.
Thank you Robbie. Yes, hake would be a great substitute!
Beautiful as usual! I’m loving that ginger and I can see in the photo how delicate the skin is. Looking forward to the other ways you discover to use the leaves. I don’t think I’ve ever seen ginger leaves before!
It was new to me Terrie, and I feel really lucky to have found it. I’m going to try pickling them as well!
Oh, yes, yum!
Maybe I’ll make pickled shrimp with ginger leaf! a la Terrie!
Beautiful aromatic dish. Ginger and citrus definitely belong together!
I hope I’ll be able to find such fresh ginger, with the leaves and stems. Love the idea of using them both is cooking and to make a syrup. 🙂
I felt really lucky to find the rhizomes with the stems and leaves still attached and obviously freshly picked. What a treasure!
One of my favorite types of fish and your preparation looks delicious.
Thank you Jovina! It’s such versatile fish!
I’ve never had such fresh ginger!
It was certainly a delight! I felt like they unearthed buried treasure.
I can’t get enough of all the fresh vegetables this time of the year. I have never seen ginger with the leaves on before. I’m not a fish person but do you think this would be just as good if I substitute chicken?
This sounds incredible. I never knew about ginger leaves! I bet Amazon sells them!
I had never seen them before either Mimi, just the new rhizomes. I was delighted, and this week has been one of adventure!
This looks like a very tasty dish. When you say marmalade what flavor marmalade are you talking about?
I cannot wait to prepare this! Absolutely love ginger which in Australia is available fresh in every corner shop all year . . . well, our cuisine has largely become Australasian! Have not seen ginger leaves for sale tho’ . . . must have a look at ordinary greengrocers . . . A rather unusual flavouring for me I really want to try! but does tamari really hold its own here without needing a straight soy? Must share with friends !!!
How wonderful to be able to find fresh ginger all year!
I chose the tamari because one at the table is gluten-free. You can easily substitute regular soy sauce.
Yum! This recipe sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing it with us!
Thanks! I love that this recipe is so easy, and tastes so good.
I have never seen ginger leaves before. What an amazing recipe!
Thank you!
Thank you Nancy! It was a first for me too!
The ginger orange sauce sounds sooo good!
Thank you! It is really tasty!
Dead easy to grow on your windowsill during the winter, too. If the root you buy has a few knobs, just keep the knobby bits, wrap it in a damp paper towel, and pop it into a plastic bag for a few weeks — it’ll sprout, and then you just poke it in a pot of soil. And (imo) it’s a must in curries.
Thanks for the great tip!!! I will definitely give this a try!
I remember going to a farmer’s market in Hawaii and finding that ginger, it was so amazing! Great recipe Dorothy!
Thank you! It is really strong when just picked!
I do wish I could get cod here but I’m sure this would work well with any white fish…The video was very informative it’s another use instead of composting the leaves your ginger looks very much like what we call galangal here it has the pinkness and very thin skin…A lovely recipe, Dorothy 🙂
Any mild white fish would work here Carol. What types of white fish do you have?
I can get sea bass, snapper or bream…
Love them all, especially the snapper!
I do wish I could get cod here but I’m sure any white fish would be just as good…The video was very good and its a use for the leaves instead of composting them. Your ginger looks very much like what we call galangal here with its pinkish tinge and thin skin the leaves on ginger and galangal are very similar and they belong to the same family,,a lovely recipe , Dorothy :_
Thank you Carol! As the season progresses, the rhizomes look more like what we think of as ginger and they get bigger. At least they taste like ginger, and are sold as such!
I’m going to pickle some of the leaves. I made a cup of tea with them fresh, and it was very mild in ginger flavor. I’m going to try to air dry the leaves for tea later.
Air drying may make the flavour more pronounced.. Pickling the leaves is a good idea… I use the rhyzones for tea and steep in water for a stronger ginger taste.. I make my son a 1.5 litre bottle of ginger, turmeric and ACV every week as he drinks a glass every morning on waking… My turmeric, ginger and galangal grow like weeds here 😂
Truly a topical paradise Carol!
I love ginger tea made with the rhizome, it is really good when someone has an upset stomach, and I adore the flavor.
The syrup came out really nice! I’ll photograph and post as an amendment to the story.
This fresh ginger and marmalade glazed cod looks amazing and flavorful!
Thank you so much! We really like this one, nice and tangy.
Oh man, this looks so good, that glaze is easy enough for me to do and I can only imagine how the cod tastes after baking in that for 20 min! Thanks so much for another great recipe Dorothy. Hugs, C
Thanks Cheryl! It really couldn’t be easier. Get a small bowl and just dump everything in, whisk, and you’re ready!
When Bruce was undergoing chemo, he ate ginger all the time to deal with his nausea. It helped the nausea medication work better. He could safely munch on ginger candies whenever he needed it.
It’s truly effective. When I was carrying my second child, I was nauseous all day long. The only thing that helped was nibbling on my too-much ginger cookies or a ginger candy.
Your kitchen is definitely not boring, and I applaud your creativity. You rock in the kitchen, Dorothy!
Thanks Judy my dear! It’s a happy place in the middle of world chaos!
I’ve never seen ginger leaves before—I’ll have to look out for those! 🙂
I was delighted!
This recipe is an absolute delight! The combination of zesty ginger and sweet marmalade creates a burst of flavors that beautifully complement the tender cod. I tried this recipe last night, and it was a hit with my family. I’m definitely adding this to my list of favorite seafood dishes.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe Fedora! It’s definitely a keeper for us too!
I have never seen this around here. I will keep my eyes open since it sounds fun to try in its fresh form.
It’s so good! Happy hunting!
I love the fresh ginger with the Cod. I’m going to make recipe.
Thanks Elaine! I think you will really enjoy this one. It’s a new favorite!
This sauce sounds SO good! I don’t think I’ll find ginger leaves but I can’t wait to try this on some tofu!!! Thank you
Thank you! I’d never seen the ginger leaves before here in Vermont, but I’m sure glad I got the chance to experiment. Hope you enjoy the sauce!