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Cantonese Steamed Fish with vegetable as side
Print Recipe

Classic Cantonese Steamed Fish

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
0 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: Easy, Fish, Quick, Steamed
Author: admin

Equipment

  • 1 Steamer

Ingredients

Steamed Fish

  • 1 Fish (see above for recommendations)
  • 1 knob Ginger Juillened
  • 1 Bunch Scallions Separate green and whites, finely slice greens into shreds
  • 1 bunch Cilantro Roughly chopped
  • Salt To lightly season the fish
  • White Pepper (optional) Use if the fish is not very fresh or frozen

Special Soy Sauce

  • 2 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Water
  • Scallion Whites From above
  • Ginger From above
  • Cilantro (Optional)
  • Half Shallot Thinly sliced

Scallion Oil

  • 2 Tbsp Vegetable oil

Instructions

Steamed Fish

  • Clean the Fish, remove residual guts and scales.
  • Season the fish with salt and white pepper (if using), let it sit for 15 minutes
  • Heat your steamer setup to the highest setting. (see above for steamer setup guide)
  • Pat the fish dry. Put half of the scallion whites and ginger inside the cavity of the fish. Place the fish on the serving dish.
    • If your fishmonger guts the fish by making an asymmetrical cut along the belly, be sure to lay it so that the fish is cut-side-down so that water won't pool inside the fish.
  • Put the fish in the steamer, for every 400g, steam for about 7 minutes.
    • If you are using a steam oven, the time needed will be significantly longer.
  • Check the doneness of the fish using a chopstick; if it can easily pierce through the thickest part of the flesh, the fish is done. Arrange the scallion shreds and cilantro on top of the fish.

Special Soy Sauce

  • In a saucepan, add all the ingredients of the soy sauce and bring to a boil.
  • Pour the soy sauce on the empty space around the place.

Scallion Oil

  • In a small pan or pot, heat up 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until it's smoking point. Quickly pour it over the scallions on top of the fish; there should be a loud sizzling sound.

To Serve

  • Serve this tableside and share with guests, occasionally baste the fish with the soy sauce to improve flavour. Recommended with rice

Notes

  • Like the majority of Cantonese dishes, this dish is meant to be shared on the dinner table.
  • The best way to eat this dish is with white rice, the soy sauce pairs very well with the rice.