Chinese Style Steam Fish
(Serves 4)
This is a very easy dish but for it to be successful, you have to get a very fresh fish. In the Chinese restaurants, their fish are still swimming and kept in a tank at the restaurant. But you can buy very fresh fish from your regular fish monger. Here is how you choose: For the fish to be 100% fresh and suitable for steaming, the gills of the fish are still slimy and have traces of mud or sand. The eyes are shinny and the body is firm to the touch. The fish should be steam just al-dente and not over cooked or the flesh with toughen and dry.
600 g whole fresh Pomfret, Garoupa or Red Snapper Fish
2" knob young ginger, skinned and julienned
2 bunches of coriander/cilantro/chinese parsley leaves
2 stalks of spring onions, shredded and soaked in cold water
1/4 cup light soya sauce
1 tablspn rice wine (optional)
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 shallots, sliced and chopped fine
3 tbsp cooking oil
Remove scales from fish taking care the corners between fins and the head. Do not cut away the fins or the tail of fish. Gut and wash fish taking care the inside of the abdomen to remove any blood clot or dark membrane. Pat dry and place fish on a steaming plate, preferably porcelain or stainless steel. Line the bottom of the plate with half the shredded ginger and the other half on the top of the fish and some inside the cavity/abdomen of the fish.
Brown the chopped garlic and shallots in a pan or use the microwave oven on High for 2 minutes. Keep aside.
Prepare a steamer and bring water to boil. I use a wok with a dome shape cover and a metal stand placed at the bottom. Water should cover the metal steaming-stand slightly.
When water is boiling, put in the fish and steam for 7 minutes. Use a timer and set the time. Off the fire and leave fish in the wok for a further 5 minutes. Do not open the lid until the 5 minutes is over.
Throw away the liquid surrounding the fish. Top fish with the garlic/onion oil, the light soya sauce and rice wine. Garnish with the shredded spring onions and coriander leaves. Serve immediatley and piping hot.
