Does the idea of cooking a whole fish seem daunting to you? The white, flakey, flesh isn’t the sturdiest of meat after all, but considering how healthy it is, we really should be adding more fish to our diet.

And while fish fillets are easier to handle, more accessible and fine for certain types of meals, sometimes all you really want is an impressive whole fish to lay out on the table when guests come over.

But what can you make that’s guaranteed to taste good without the risk of breaking the fish apart as it cooks? Say hello to our incredibly easy Hong Kong-style Steamed Fish Recipe.

It’s so simple to put together it’ll have you wondering why you never tried cooking whole fish before.

A fresh, white-fleshed sea fish is best for this recipe, but you could use frozen in a pinch. However, it won’t have the same juicy texture as fresh fish does.

This is quite important when making a steamed fish dish as it is often the taste and texture of the flesh that comes to the forefront, while the sauce is more an accompanying flavour.

When it comes to steamed fish, the fresher is definitely the better.

Ingredients

• 650g (1 whole) red snapper, cleaned and gutted

• 45g garlic, finely minced

• 30g ginger, peeled & sliced thin

• 50g Lee Kum Kee seasoned soy sauce for seafood

• 100g cooking oil

Garnishing

• 7g spring onions, sliced small

• 10g coriander, leaves only

Special equipment

• Steamer

Method: Steaming the fish

• Fill your steamer ¾ full with water, taking care to ensure the water doesn’t reach the holes of your steamer. Keep the steamer covered and bring it to a boil on high heat.

• Important! Get a plate large enough to fit your fish and check to see that it fits in the steamer. It’s fine if the fish hangs out of your plate a little, unless you plan to use the same plate for serving.

• Place fish on your selected plate and stuff its cavity with sliced ginger.

• Once water is boiling, transfer the plate of fish into the steamer. Cover and steam for 10 minutes. The timing may vary according to the size and type of fish you use, so check that the steamed fish reaches an internal temperature of 63°C for perfect doneness.

• Once fish is cooked, turn off heat and remove plate of fish from steamer. If you’re using a different platter for serving, carefully transfer the fish over.

Making the sauce

• Heat cooking oil in a small pan over high heat.

• Once the oil is hot, about 1 minute, add minced garlic and fry until golden brown, stirring constantly to ensure garlic cooks evenly and doesn’t get burned.

• When garlic is brown, about 1 minute, turn off heat and remove the entire pan to a heat-resistant surface. Do note though that the timing for browning the garlic will vary according to how fine or coarse you have chopped it, as well as the temperature of the oil and pan, so keep a close eye for the change in colour.

• Add soy sauce directly into the pan and stir until thoroughly mixed.

• Pour sauce all over the fish.

• Garnish with spring onions and coriander.

• Serve while still hot.

Extra tips

• Any super fresh white-fleshed fish goes great with this recipe. You can also use marble goby, sea bass, pomfret and cod.

• If you’re cooking this for Chinese New Year, there are specific types of fish that are considered more “prosperous” like crucian carp, Chinese mud carp or catfish. Don’t forget to adjust the cooking time though.

• When buying fresh fish, tell the fishmonger you’re steaming it and get them to clean and prepare it for you. What they’ll do is remove the guts, gills and scales. Fins are an aesthetic choice, so be sure to let your fishmonger know if you want them on or off.

• Optionally, check out our video on “How to Prep Fish like a Pro Chef”.

This article first appeared in butterkicap.com

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