Steam fish is another family favorite. It is also an auspicious dish for Chinese New Year reunion dinners. Steaming fish preserves its texture and tastiness.
To make a succulent and delicious steam fish, there are three important things that we should be aware of;
1. Picking a fresh fish - Not all types of fish are suitable for steaming. Suitable ones are those that have less bones and do not have a strong fishy odor. Some good fishes to steam are snapper, white pomfret, grouper, sea bass, tilapia, halibut, cod, salmon etc. There are a few signs to look out for to ensure that the fish is fresh;
* The eyes must be clear and bright, not dull or cloudy as this means it's not fresh.
* The skin and scales should be bright and shiny.
* The gills should be bright red, not brown or dark color.
* The flesh should be firm to the touch.
2. The cooking process - steaming time is crucial to ensure that the fish is perfectly cooked. Generally, it's 10 minutes for a 1 kg fish (+-). For a much smaller fish, it should be around 8 minutes and a much bigger fish should be around 15 minutes. Of course, halfway through, you need to discard the fishy water. Now, if the fish is very thick, then it's better to butterfly it in order to speed up the cooking process. You can also put a few chopsticks below the fish to ensure even cooking. It's interesting to know that the fish has a built-in thermometer which is their eyes. You can tell that they're perfectly cooked when their eyes turn white. So, this will be a helpful indication.
3. The sauce - Instead of the typical soy sauce and sugar, I used liquid aminos, stevia drops and water. You can also use tamari which is quite similar to liquid aminos. But if you're not on low carb, then you could still use soy sauce which has wheat flour and sugar. To enhance the flavor, I added garlic infused oil which we will be making here but for convenience, you can also use store bought ones. Then add some sesame oil to further enhance the flavor.
INGREDIENTS
1 whole fish (about 1 kg)
1 cup ginger (cut into strips)
1 fresh red chili (de-seeded and cut into strips)
1 cup minced garlic
Sesame oil
1 tsp salt
Spring onions for garnishing
For the sauce, mix the following ingredients in a bowl;
6 to 8 tbsp liquid aminos or tamari (soy sauce for non-low carb version)
4 to 5 stevia drops (or any low carb sweetener to taste)
1 cup water
1. Clean the fish, pat dry and make a few scores on both sides of fish.
2. Rub some salt all over the fish and place on a steaming plate. Place 2 to 3 chopsticks at the bottom of the fish. This is optional but it does help to ensure even cooking. Top the fish with half of the ginger strips and set aside.
3. Fill a small pan with cooking oil and fry the minced garlic at high heat. Stir constantly and once the garlic turns light brown, remove, drain and set aside. The garlic will continue to brown. Reserve the garlic infused oil.
4. Fill a wok with water until the level of the steaming rack. This is to speed up the cooking process.
5. Cover and bring the water to a boil then place the steaming plate with fish on the steaming rack. Cover and steam at high heat for 5 minutes.
6. Once the 5 minutes is up, remove the plate and discard the fishy liquid.
7. Return the plate to the wok and continue to steam the fish for another 5 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by placing some of the garlic infused oil in a small pan. Heat the oil until hot, then add the sauce, stir and bring to a boil. Adjust taste accordingly. If more sauce is required, add more water and seasonings. Set aside.
9. Once the fish is ready, turn off heat and remove the plate.
10. Pour the sauce over the fish and drizzle with some sesame oil. Top with balance of fresh ginger strips and chili strips. Sprinkle with fried garlic and garnish with spring onions.
