Chinese steamed fish, simply delicious
Living in Hong Kong, one of amazing thing is that we can enjoy variety of dining experiences. We say ‘Hong Kong food’, everyone will imagine ‘dim sum’ first. That’s right. So many dim sum restaurants in here and always long queue front of every dim sum restaurants.
If you ask just one more, I will say seafood. Seafood restaurants are everywhere and they offer great Cantonese-style seafood. Hong Kong’s seafood are very fresh. Especially head for a seafood district like sea side village or outlying island, you will find rows of restaurants where you can pick your prey from an aquarium. Yes, you can see it swimming minutes before it’s on your table. Fried, steamed, grilled, sliced, diced or stuffed etc. They cook for you what ever you order.
From Lamma island seafood restaurant
My favorite dish from Hong Kong seafood restaurants is Chinese steamed fish. It’s a staple of Hong Kong seafood menus. Steam method keeps fish to moist and soft texture, simple seasonings allows to appreciate the original flavour of the fresh fish. It’s so easy to cook.
Actually I cook Chinese steamed fish at home more than go to seafood restaurant. it is easy. Let’s take a look at the recipe then you know what I mean…
Chinese steamed fish recipe
Ingredients
cleaned with head and tail intact whole white fish 1kg (such as sea bass, branzino, or flounder)
peeled ginger 2cm
garlic 2 cloves chopped
chopped spring onion 2~3 Tbsp
vegetable oil 2 Tbsp
light soy sauce 2 Tbsp
rice wine 2 Tbsp
brown sugar 1/4 tsp
rough chopped cilantro 1 Tbsp
Remove any scales from your fish using a serrated steak knife. You should pierce and cut a membrane, revealing a blood line near the bone. Run your finger or a spoon across it to clean it thoroughly. Rinse the fish in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Carefully place the fish on a heatproof plate. The plate has to be fit inside your steamer. I used a small dish and a bamboo basket because my wok wasn’t big enough. Stuff the sliced ginger inside the cavity of the fish.
Pour water into a wok or big pot, set a steamer in the pot. Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the steamer. Bring the water to boil over high heat. Carefully place your fish plate, cover and steam for about 10 minutes.
Pour off all of the liquid accumulated on the plate from steaming in a bowl and spread the spring onion and the cilantro over the fish. Set aside.
In a small saute pan, heat the oil over high heat until very hot, add garlic, rice wine, soy sauce, brown sugar and the liquid from fish plate. I like to add some chilli for little spicy. Heat the mixture until simmering. Pour it directly evenly over the fish. Serve with hot steamed rice.
