Steamed Fish with Soy Sauce港式蒸鱼gǎng shì zhēng yú

cover I personally think that fresh fish is best eaten steamed in addition to Sashimi and Sushi. For me, nothing tastes as satisfying as delicately steamed fish with a bowl of rice. Though few ingredients are involved, you will need a very fresh fish and a high-quality Chinese cooking wine to make it Chinese-restaurant worthy. The perfect, right amount of steaming time is also critical so that cooked flesh is tender, moist and silky. Never overcook.

Serves 3-4,

1 Whole red snapper (or seabass), about 600g红鲷鱼或者海鲈. You may use fish fillet if you find deboning fish troublesome.
4 slices ginger 姜片
2 tablespoons premium Chinese cooking wine (click here foe homemade Chinese cooking wine)
3 spring onions, cut it into slices in 5cm

For sauce

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1-2 tablespoons soy sauce生抽

Method

Scale the fish, discard the guts and clean well (hopefully you can get the cleaned one from your grocery store.) Pat dry with kitchen paper towel. Slice the ginger. Slash the fish on the both sides of the back to allow your seasoning to penetrate evenly later.
Place the fish in a serving plate (should be able to fit into the steamer pot). Tuck 2 slices of ginger in the belly of the fish then place the other two slices on top of the fish. Sprinkle the fish with two tablespoons of Chinese cooking wine. A high-quality cooking wine is critical for the success of the dish.
Place a steamer pot in the stove. Add into a big pot of water and bring it to a boil. to Place the serving plate in a steamer. Cover the steamer with a lid. Steam over high heat for 10-12 minutes. You will need reduce 1-2 minutes if your fish is smaller. Use the shortest amount of time you to get the fish cooked but NEVER overcooked.
Remove the serving plate from the steamer. Spread evenly the spring onions and on top of the fish. In the meantime, let’s cook sauce. Heat the cooking oil in a sauce pan over medium heat for about 2 minutes, then add soy sauce sugar, mix well. Once you see bubbles, turn the heat off. The sauce is done now. Pour the sauce onto the fish in the serving plate.
Serve the dish with a bowl of rice. By the way, the slightly chewy texture of fish cheeks is simply divine.