Easy Chinese Steamed Fish
Classic Chinese-style steamed whole fish recipe made with whole seabass and loaded with ginger, spring onions/scallions, chilli, and delicious savoury sauce. Popular Chinese New Year fish recipe that you can prepare in 20 minutes! Enjoy with plain rice, so delicious!
Servings: 4
Calories: 98kcal
Equipment
- 1 Large deep wok/pot Or Large steamer
Ingredients
- 1 Whole fish About 400grams/0.9lbs, Scales, gills, and gutts removed
- 1 root Ginger Cut half of ginger into thin slices and julienne the rest of it
- 4 Spring onion Cut half of it into 3" pieces and julienne the rest of it
- 1 Red chilli pepper Optional, Julienned
- 2-3 tbsp Cooking oil Neutral flavour oil, peanut, sunflower, canola, etc.
- 3 tbsp Light soy sauce Or regular soy sauce
- 1 tsp Dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- ¼ tsp White pepper
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
Instructions
- Gently scrape off any blood left inside the cavity. Rinse the whole fish with plenty of water including the cavity. Pat dry the fish with a paper towel. Use a sharp knife to make 2-3 shallow slits on each side of the fish.
- Cut spring onions and ginger into 3-inch pieces and slices and lay them on the heatproof plate to prevent the fish from sticking to the pan. Then place the fish over them. Stuff the cavity of the fish with the ginger and spring onions. Place ginger slices over the fish.
- Use a large deep wok or pot that the whole fish can fit in. Place a steaming rack in the wok and fill the pot with water. Place the fish plate over the rack. Close the lid and steam on high for 10 minutes. ( Larger fish need to steam longer. Increase 2-3 minutes if you are using larger fish. )
- Meanwhile, the fish is steaming prepare the sauce by combining sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Once the fish is cooked, discard the ginger, springs and steamed water from the fish plate. Place julienned ginger, chillies, and spring onions and place the over the fish.
- In a small pot, heat 2-3 tablespoons of neutral flavour oil until smoking hot. Pour the hot oil over the fish and shredded vegetables. Next, pour the prepared sauce over the fish. Serve immediately with rice, garlic fried rice, or noodles.
Notes
- What type of whole fish to use? You can use seabass, sea bream, red snapper, flounder, pomfret, tilapia, carp, grouper, catfish, etc.
- How do you choose fresh fish? Look for the ones with firm flesh, bright, clear eyes and vibrant red gills. If you press on the flesh, the flesh should spring back.
- Request the fishmonger to remove scales, gills, and gut and clean them.
- Do not overcook the fish. If you steam the fish for so long, the flesh will lose its texture and become mushy.
Nutrition
Calories: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 0.1mg | Sodium: 757mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 227IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
