Chinese-Style Steamed Fish

My dad picked up a new hobby.  Fishing.  Yes, even in the middle of winter.  The conversation I have with my dad when I go home for dinner these days goes something like this.

Dad:  "Take home some fish."
Me:  "No, thanks."
Dad:  "Why not?"
Me:  "I don't know how to cook fish."
Dad:  "Just pan fry it."
Me: "Nah."
Dad:  "There's a lot of fish in the freezer.  Take some."

My dad does not take no without a fight.  So we keep at it until I give in.  

Me:  "Alright, I'll take one home."

I don't cook a lot of fish.  First of all, seafood is expensive.  Secondly, it's tricky to cook fish without overcooking it.  Third, I don't like to handle fish unless it's already been cleaned, scaled, and gutted.  I finally remembered to cook the fish my dad caught about two weeks ago.  At first, I thought I'd try to make sweet and sour fish but I didn't have all the ingredients and it would be too messy to deep fry a whole fish.  So, I finally decided on making Chinese steamed fish.  You know, the kind you eat at Chinese restaurants with soy sauce, ginger, scallions, and cilantro.

I learned some secret techniques from Steamy Kitchen on how to steam the fish for the best results.  She also has some fish picking strategies if you want to read about it on her blog.  For restaurant style steamed fish, you need to use fresh fish and steam it on medium heat for about 10-12 minutes, and serve it with fresh herbs and clean sauce.  You want to discard the fishy cloudy water after steaming because the juices is very fishy especially if the fish is not cleaned well.

Enjoy this Chinese-Style Steamed Fish recipe from Steamy Kitchen.

Chinese Steamed Fish

Ingredients
1 pound whole fish
4 stalks, scallions – cut into 3″ lengths
3″ piece of ginger – slice into “coins”
small bunch of cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
salt & pepper

Soy Sauce Mixture
2 tablespoons rough chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper
fresh chilli – thinly sliced (optional)

Garnish
2 stalks, scallions – cut into 3″ lengths
2″ piece of ginger – finely julienned
2 tablespoons cooking oil

Directions
1. Clean your fish, pat dry. Season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Take half of the herb ingredients and stuff inside the fish.

2. Take the other half of the herb ingredients and lay it in a shallow pan. Lay the fish on top of the bed. If fish is too long, cut in half. Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine on top of the fish.

3. Add 2″ of water to a large pot or wok, cover and boil. When it is boiling, uncover, and put your fish pan inside, propped up with a steamer insert or small inverted bowl to use as a stand. Steam the fish on medium heat for about 12 minutes (add 2 minutes for every 1/2 lb.)

Tip:  Poke your chopstick at the flesh near the top fin. If flesh flakes easily near the top fin, then its done. If flesh sticks together still, then add 1-2 more minutes to cooking time.  Timing really depends on the thickness of your fish. Also check to make sure you haven’t run out of steaming water.

4. Towards the end of the steaming process, heat up a pan, add the soy sauce mixture and stir well until well combined.  Set aside. When fish is done steaming, transfer the fish out onto a serving platter, discarding all of the cooked cilantro/ginger/scallions and the fish juice in the pan. Pour the hot sauce over the fish.

5.  In a separate pan or wok, heat up cooking oil over high heat, add the ginger and scallions, fry for 10 seconds to “pop” the flavors. Pour the cooking oil and herbs over the fish and serve immediately!