Cantonese steamed fish
A simple, delicious taste. All in finesse and subtlety. My go-to dish when I go to a restaurant in a fishing village in Hong Kong.
Ingredients
- 1 fresh fish (400g for a sea bass for example)
- 5 scallions
- 10 slices ginger (long)
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- salt
- white pepper
- 0,5 tsp black sesame oil
Sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp water
- 0,5 tsp sugar
- 1 sprig coriander (fresh (8g))
Method
- 1Prepare the fish: scale, gut, rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Don't hesitate to ask your fishmonger to prepare it for you.
- 2Cut 2 scallions into fine julienne (separate the white from the green part) along with 4 slices of ginger.
- 3Prepare the sauce: in a saucepan, mix one scallion, the coriander, soy sauce, water and sugar. Bring to a boil, stir and turn off as soon as the sugar dissolves. Strain and set aside.
- 4Cut two more scallions into batons the width of the fish and place them in a dish. Place the fish on top (leaving space underneath the fish*). Salt. Place 4 slices of ginger on top of the fish and 2 inside. Add a drizzle of oil.
- 5Start steaming (oven, wok, pan, bamboo steamer baskets, etc.). When the water boils, place the dish with the fish in and cook 10-15 minutes depending on the size and type of your fish*. Discard the cooking water, the scallions and the ginger slices*.
- 6Pepper. Drizzle with black sesame oil. On top of the fish, place first the julienned white scallions, then the ginger, and finally the green scallions.
- 7Heat the oil and pour it over the aromatics on the fish as soon as it starts to smoke.
- 8Pour the sauce all around the fish, avoiding putting it on top*. Serve immediately.
Notes
The scallion batons under the fish let the steam circulate and cook the fish more evenly on both sides. For a 400g sea bass I'd tend to cook it for 12 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave it covered for 2 more minutes. It will then be 90% cooked (the remaining 10% will finish with the boiling oil we pour on top). To test doneness, push a knife through the fish; it should come out clean. Your steaming setup can also vary the cooking time. Testing remains the best way to find the right formula. Discard the cooking water because it will concentrate the flavors we wanted to get rid of by placing ginger on top and inside the fish. The final result will have a more subtle taste. If you pour the sauce on the fish itself, it will soak it up and become too salty. You can add some julienned mild red chilies to the julienned scallions and ginger to add a bit of color. The crucial step of this recipe happens when you pour the boiling oil over the aromatics. It instantly becomes infused oil and gives its flavor to the fish while finishing the cook. A very nice sound happens at that exact moment: listen for that characteristic "Tshhhhh". ^_^
