Recipe: Chinese Steamed Whole Fish

Chinese Steam Fish

Ingredients:

Gutted Fish ~1lb

Green Onion 3 springs

Ginger 4 slices julienne

Ginger 4 slices

Sea Salt 1/2 tsp on each side

White Pepper 1/2 tsp

Cooking Oil 1 Tsp

Cooking Oil 3 Tsp

Homemade Fish Sauce or Use bottle Fish Sauce:

Soy Sauce 2 Tsp

Sugar 1 Tsp

Chicken stock/broth 2 Tsp

Note:  Pre-made fish sauce can be purchased at any Asian grocery store.  It usually stocks with the oyster sauce aisle.

Methods:

1. Padded dry the gutted fish from the market inside and out
2. Slit open the fish body in the center area for easy cooking (I keep my 1lb fish without any slit because it is not a big fish and the center part should be cooked easily)
3. Julienne slices of ginger and green onion
4. Cut 1 1/2 spring of green onion (green and white parts) into 2-3" section
5. Add water into steamer and turn on the heat until steaming
6. Put sections of green onion into the steaming dish/plate
7. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of sea salt on each side of the fish
8. Put the whole fish on top of the green onion bed
9. Put ginger and extra green onion in the fish stomach
10. Add dashes of white pepper on top of the fish (facing up)
11. Put ginger slices on top of the fish (from collar to almost tail part)
12. Pour cooking oil from the center of the fish, started from mouth to tail (oil should drip onto both sides of the fish)
13. When steaming is ready, put the fish into steamer to steam on high heat for approximately 9-10 minutes
14. Turn off the heat and check if the fish is cook (use a toothpick to test)
15. Discard overflow liquid (if any) and ginger slices on top of fish
16. Place the julienne green onion on top of fish first, then julienne ginger
17. Warm up the fish sauce and pour it AROUND the fish (not on top)
18. Heat up 3 Tsp of cooking oil in a small pot/pan, turn off heat when smoking and pour the sizzling oil onto the bed of ginger and green onion
19. Serve immediately

Tips:

-Do not open the lid when fish is steaming.

-Fish is cook if toothpick pokes through easily.

-Fish is overcooked is it is off the bone/collapse.  Not good eats.

-Warm up the fish sauce is a good eat practice.  You just don't want to put cold liquid into a hot dish, especially seafood.

-Pouring the fish sauce onto fish may make the fish taste more salty than it should be.  As a restaurant practice, the fish sauce is always poured around the fish.

-Eat the fish when it is hot.  Otherwise, it may become fishy.  Again, that will not be a good eat.