A reader, Sally, asked if I could comment on using ginger from a jar, versus fresh ginger. She added that she does not use fresh ginger often and believes the jarred variety would last longer in her refrigerator.
To remind everyone, ginger is the fragrant, knobby rhizome — underground stem — of a perennial herb that’s part of the Zingiberaceae family. It’s officially known as Zingiber officinale. When the plant matures and its leaves die, the tan-skinned rhizome, the ginger, is harvested.
You can, of course, buy ginger fresh, and I’ll talk more about that later. You can also, as Sally noted, buy prepared, jarred ginger at Asian food stores and some grocery stores. I’ve purchased it at Fairway Market.
This product goes by names such as ginger paste and minced ginger, depending on how finely processed the ginger is. These products can replace fresh ginger in recipes calling for it, such as soups, stir-fries, marinades and curries.
For example, if a recipe calls for one teaspoon of finely chopped fresh ginger, you could replace it with one teaspoon of jarred ginger, or to taste. I say “to taste” because jarred ginger — which is processed, often with water — does not have the same robust taste as fresh ginger does and you may wish to use more of it to compensate for that.
Also know that, unlike fresh ginger, jarred ginger often contains sugar and preservatives, such as salt and citric acid.
Jarred ginger paste and minced ginger are popular ingredients for some Asian cooks and other folks who do a lot of Asian-style cooking. That’s because it’s easy to use and eliminates the step of chopping fresh ginger every time they need some, which could be several times a week.
For someone like Sally, though, who doesn’t use a lot of ginger, I wouldn’t recommend using jarred ginger. Although she can store it in her refrigerator a long while, the ginger will likely have gone off by the time she’s used it all up.
More importantly, though, if Sally needs a bit of fresh ginger for a recipe, grocery stores will allow her to buy a very small and inexpensive piece of it. When doing that, know that a one-inch long, about one-inch wide piece of fresh ginger, when peeled and finely chopped, will yield about one tablespoon. An easy way to remove the peel from fresh ginger is to scrape it off with the inverted tip of a small spoon.
When purchasing ginger, choose firm pieces with fairly smooth skin. If it’s shrivelled or has spongy spots, it’s past its prime and should be avoided, as it will be difficult to peel, cut or grate.
If Sally bought more fresh ginger than she needed for a recipe, she could place it in a tightly sealed plastic bag and store it in her refrigerator crisper up to three weeks. She could also freeze that ginger for up to two months. Slice, chop or grate that ginger when still partially frozen, as it will be harder to do so when thawed.
Roasted Cod Fillets with Ginger Green Onion Sauce
Cod fillets, roasted, plated and topped with a Chinese-style sauce rich with fresh ginger, sliced green onions, soy sauce and sesame oil.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 14 minutes
Makes: two servings
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onion
1 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
2 (6-oz/170-gram) lingcod, grey cod or other cod fillets
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp vegetable oil (divided)
• salt and ground white pepper, to taste
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp Sriracha or other smooth hot chili sauce, or to taste
Preheat oven to 425 F. Place green onion and ginger in a small, half-cup or so, heatproof bowl. Set the bowl aside for now.
Line a small baking pan with parchment paper. Set the cod fillets in the pan. Brush top of the fillets lightly with the 1 tsp of oil. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Roast the cod 10 to 12 minutes, or until cooked through.
While cod cooks, make the ginger green onion sauce by placing the 2 Tbsp oil in a small pot set over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering and very hot, carefully pour it over the ginger and green onions in the bowl and stir to combine. Now mix in the soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, honey and Sriracha.
When cod is cooked, set a piece of it on each of two dinner plates. Generously top each piece of fish with the ginger green onion sauce, and then serve.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
