This Cantonese Steamed Fish recipe is delicious and only takes about 15-20 minutes to make. This steamed fish recipe is a traditional, simple dish often served as one of the final courses in a Chinese wedding banquet.
The Cuisine
Cantonese cuisine is the cuisine of the Guangdong province of China, including Hong Kong and Macau.
The Cantonese use a number of cooking methods. Steaming and stir frying are the most favored due to their convenience and rapidity.
Cantonese cuisine flavors are typically well balanced and not greasy. They use spices in modest amounts and at the peak of their freshness. Unlike many Asian cuisines, there is no widespread use of fresh herbs. Garlic chives and coriander leaves are exceptions to the rule.
Using the Right Fish
The best fish to use is a non-oily white fish. You can use cod, halibut, whiting, haddock, flounder, grouper, mahi-mahi and tilapia. Fish is always best fresh, but frozen filets work well too. I love fresh fish and have it delivered from an amazing source, located in South Florida, called Fish Level Corp.
Steaming the Fish
Steamed fish is a healthy and speedy way to cook. It is finished with a savory sauce made of soy sauce, sugar, ginger, cilantro and scallions.
The traditional way to steam the fish is with a wok, steaming rack, and lid, or a wok and a bamboo steamer. As you can tell from my pictures, I used a food pot steamer with a plate. A Pyrex dish or other dishes safe for oven use, will work well too. (Tip: If you want to use your wok and don't have a steaming rack, you can simply use an empty tuna can in place of a rack and set your plate on it.)
Cooking Cantonese Steamed Fish
The steaming time depends upon the thickness of your fish filets. The time can range from 5-10 minutes. A good way to check is by using a knife on the thickest part of the filet. If it easily pierces through the filet, it's ready.
Preparing the Cantonese Steamed Fish Sauce
While steaming the fish, you can use your wok or a small non-stick frying pan to start preparing the sauce topping. The sauce starts by heating a couple of tablespoons of oil. Add fresh ginger slivers and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the cilantro and scallions and cook for another minute. Finish by adding the soy sauce mixture and heat for 30 seconds.
Remove the sauce from the heat and immediately pour over the steamed fish filets. Serve it with a side of steamed rice.
Cantonese Steamed Fish
DESCRIPTION
INGREDIENTS
- 4 scallions
- 4 tablespoons ginger
- 2 bunch cilantro
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce (or seasoned soy sauce)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 4 tablespoons water (hot)
- 20 ounce tilapia (or any white fish such as cod, sea bass, grey sole, flounder, fluke or haddock)
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut the scallions into 2-inch lengths, and cut the pieces in half lengthwise. Julienne them thinly. Thinly slice about 15g of ginger, and julienne them. Give the cilantro a rough chop. Set the aromatics aside.
- Combine the light soy sauce, salt, sugar and hot water in a small bowl and mix until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Set aside.
- Prepare your steaming set-up, and fill with 1-2 inches of water. Bring to a boil.
- Rinse your fish fillet, and carefully lay it on an oblong heat-proof plate that will fit into your wok or steaming setup. Carefully place it in the steamer, and adjust the heat to medium. The water should be at a slow boil that generates a good amount of steam, but not so high that the water evaporates too quickly.
- Cover and steam for 7-10 minutes depending upon the size and thickness of your fish fillet. If you have extremely small, thin fillets (half an inch), cook for 4-5 minutes. Check for doneness using a butter knife. If it falls easily through the thickest part of the fillet to the bottom of the plate, the fish is done.
- Turn off the heat, and carefully drain any liquid on the plate. Spread about ⅓ of the scallions, ginger, and cilantro on the steamed fish (alternatively, you can wait to do this AFTER adding the sauce).
- To make the sauce, heat a wok or small saucepan to medium high heat, and add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the remaining ⅔ of the ginger, and fry for 1 minute. Add the white parts of the scallions and cook for 30 seconds.Then add rest of the scallions and cilantro. The mixture should be sizzling.
- Add the soy sauce mixture. Bring the mixture to a bubble, and cook until the scallions and cilantro are just wilted, about 30 seconds.
- Pour this mixture over the fish. If you prefer to add the raw aromatics after adding the sauce, you can do so now, and heat an additional 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to pour over the raw aromatics. Serve immediately!
NUTRITION
Check out my other fish recipes here.
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