Chinese
Steamed Fish with Ginger and Soy
Steam a whole salted fish on ginger and spring onion over fast-boiling water for 10–12 minutes, pour off the liquid, top with fresh ginger and spring onion shreds, pour over smoking-hot oil and finish with a light soy dressing; about 30 minutes for 4.
Cantonese steamed fish is one of the simplest and best ways to cook a very fresh whole fish. It is steamed over fast-boiling water with ginger until it just flakes, then topped with fine shreds of ginger and spring onion, splashed with smoking-hot oil so they sizzle, and finished with a light soy dressing. The key is timing: a minute too long and the flesh dries out, so watch the clock and check at the bone.
- Serves 4
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 12 min
- Total: 30 min
Ingredients
Fish
- 1 whole sea bass, grouper or pomfret, about 700 g, cleaned and scaled
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 5 cm piece ginger, half sliced and half cut into fine matchsticks
- 3 spring onions
Soy dressing
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 4 tbsp hot water
To finish
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 red chilli, cut into fine strips
- 1 small handful coriander leaves
Method
- Pat the fish dry inside and out. Make two diagonal cuts down to the bone on each side and rub it all over with the salt.
- Cut 1 spring onion into lengths and lay it on a heatproof plate with the sliced ginger. Put the fish on top, so steam can circulate underneath. Shred the other 2 spring onions very finely and keep them for the topping.
- Bring 5 cm of water to a fast boil in a wok or steamer. Set the plate on a rack over the water, cover and steam over high heat for 10–12 minutes, until the flesh at the thickest part flakes easily and is opaque right to the bone.
- While the fish steams, stir the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar and hot water together until the sugar dissolves.
- Carefully lift out the plate. Pour away the liquid on the plate and remove the cooked spring onion and ginger slices, which carry the fishy taste.
- Scatter the ginger matchsticks, shredded spring onion and chilli over the fish.
- Heat the oil in a small pan until it just starts to smoke, then pour it over the ginger and spring onion so they sizzle. Pour the soy dressing around the fish, add the coriander and serve at once.
Tips
- Steaming time: allow about 8 minutes for a 500 g fish and 12–14 minutes for 1 kg. Fillets 2 cm thick take 6–7 minutes.
- Freshness matters: the fish should have clear eyes, red gills and firm flesh. This simple method shows off a very fresh fish and shows up a tired one.
- Fillets: use 600 g of thick white fish fillets and lay them skin side down on the ginger.
- Plate size: use a deep plate that fits in the steamer with at least 2 cm of space all round, so the steam can reach the fish.
Questions
What is the best fish for steaming?
A very fresh whole white fish of about 700 g, such as sea bass, grouper, pomfret or red snapper. Firm, mild fish keep their shape and taste clean.
How long do I steam a whole fish?
About 8 minutes for 500 g, 10–12 minutes for 700 g and 12–14 minutes for 1 kg, over water at a fast boil. The flesh should flake and be opaque at the bone.
Why do I pour away the steaming liquid?
The liquid that collects on the plate carries a fishy taste. Pouring it off and adding a fresh soy dressing keeps the flavour clean.
Why pour hot oil over the fish?
Smoking-hot oil sizzles the raw ginger and spring onion, releasing their fragrance and taking off their raw edge.
Is this steamed fish halal?
The recipe is pork-free and lists no alcohol. It is not halal-certified: check that the light and dark soy sauces carry halal certification, since some soy sauces contain alcohol.
A Dada Cooking original recipe. Quantities are metric first, with US amounts in brackets.