This is one of the comfort foods of authentic Chinese cuisine. Growing up, I remember how the aromatic ginger and scallion danced with the savory aroma of soy sauce in the air and the satisfying sound of sizzling and crackling when my dad poured the bubbling hot oil and soy sauce mixture onto the steamed fish covered with the ginger-scallion garnish. Today, it remains one of my favorite meals to have at any season though I rarely make this dish to keep it special.
Serves: 3-4 people Prep Time: 10-15 minutes Cook Time: About 20 minutes Notes: you might have a set of steaming cookware that would work well for this recipe — feel free to use that instead of the glass dish or wok suggested in this recipe.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 whole white fish, scaled (my favorites are Snapper, Trout, and Sea Bass, but any white fish with silky textured meat when cooked will do)
- 1 large piece of ginger, about 2 inches long, sliced
- 3 stalks of scallion/green onion, sliced into quarter inch long pieces
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons high-heat point oil (avocado and vegetable are great)
- About 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- less than a pinch of salt
- Optional: “Maggie” brand seasoned soy sauce
- Optional: a few Chinese chili peppers, sliced in half
- Optional: some fresh chopped cilantro to garnish before serving (my dad’s personal touch)
Steps:
- Create a 2 inch deep cavity in the fish bellies with a knife and lightly salt and pepper the inside of the fish belly cavity. Next, place individual slices of ginger covering every surface of the inside of the fish belly cavity. Make sure to reserve 3 or 4 slices. Add a little of the scallions. Make sure to reserve more than half of scallions.
- Take an oven safe dish, like a Pyrex glass casserole dish, and place the fish as evenly into the dish as possible. Next, take a wok or a large (extra wide and deep) pan and put about 1.5 cups of water into the pan. Now place the dish with the prepared fish into the pan. Turn heat on high and cover (as best you can) with a lid.
- When water is at a rolling boil, turn heat down to medium-high. Keep covered with lid (leaving a little space for steam to come out) and let it steam for about 20 minutes or until fish is cooked through (add more water as you see the water receding — do NOT let water dry up and try not to fill the pan with so much water that the water rolls into the dish with the fish).
- Carefully remove the dish from the pan. Do not turn off heat; in fact, turn it up to high. Drain all water from the steaming pan and wipe the cooking surface of the pan dry. Put the pan back on the burner and put oil into the pan. Let it heat for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, take your remaining ginger slices (reserve 1 more slice) and mince them or slice them very thin then set them on top of each fish. Place scallions on each fish.
- Return to pan of heated oil and if the oil is starting to ripple it’s hot enough for this step. Add your last piece of ginger into the pan, add chili peppers into the pan, if desired, and add soy sauce and a few drops of Maggie to pan… enjoy the satisfying sizzle as you transfer the heated soy sauce-oil mixture onto your fish. Once ginger (and chili peppers) brown, turn heat off. Serve with white rice and enjoy!