Cantonese-Style Steamed Fish
What is Cantonese-Style Steamed Fish?
Have you ever had the good fortune of tasting Chinese steamed fish, or more specifically, Cantonese-style steamed fish?
Cantonese-Style Steamed Fish is a traditional dish that’s light yet intensely aromatic, and incredibly easy to make.
By steaming the fish (white-fleshed), you preserve the moisture and the soft delicate texture of the fish. And pouring the sizzling sauce over the steamed fish ensures that the fish gets completely enveloped by the aromatics of the green onion, garlic, and ginger, lathering the dish in light yet intensely aromatic flavors.
Light yet intensely aromatic
For the Lunar New Year, a steamed, whole fish serves as an important symbolic staple, representing prosperity, abundance, and good fortune for the year to come. With its light fluffy texture and flavorful aromatics from the ginger, garlic, and green onion, it’s no wonder special occasions call for this steamed fish.
Despite being served on special occasions, this dish is surprisingly easy to make at home. It takes only 10 minutes to steam the fish! And 5 minutes to sizzle up the sauce and aromatics. The key is to get your fish fresh and whole (with head, tail, and fins intact), but gutted. If you can manage that, you’re more than half way there.
Recipe Notes
TOTAL TIME: 5 min prep. to slice and rinse the fish and stuff it with ginger, 10-15 min to steam the fish, and 5 min to concoct the saucy aromatics.
SERVES: 6-8 (assuming this is just one dish of many, as is custom with many Chinese meals)
EQUIPMENT: A steam rack, a pan big and deep enough to fit an entire fish with fins and tail and all (a wok is best).
Ingredients
- Whole Fish – You need a whole white-fleshed fish for this recipe, with fins and tail and head, but no innards. Ask your kind fish monger to scale and remove only the guts. Can’t find a market with fresh fish? Try your local Asian market – they’re usually loaded with fresh seafood. Get the striped bass or sea bass or even trout, as long as it’s a white-fleshed fish.
- Green onions – 2 stalks, sliced in thin diagonal slivers (adds a fancy touch)
- Garlic – 2-3 cloves, thinly sliced
- Ginger – 3-4 thin slices, and then cut those slices into fine slivers
- Cilantro – 5-6 sprigs, rough-chopped
- Soy Sauce – 2 tbsp
- Rice Wine – 3 tbsp
- Oil – enough to coat the pan
Instructions
- Get your big, deep pan (aka wok), place metal steamer rack in, and fill wok with water just enough so that it sits below the steamer rack
- Place lid on wok and wait until water boils (high heat)
- While the water gets to boiling temperature, rinse the whole fish, and stuff the inside with thin ginger slivers
- When water is boiling, remove lid and gently place the whole fish with stuffed ginger on the steamer rack
- Place lid back on, leaving just a crack for the steam to escape. Let steam for 10-15 min, until the flesh is cooked. You can poke with a chopstick or fork to check. Flesh will be have a light fluffy white texture when done.
- When fish is fully cooked, plate and set aside.
- Now we turn to the sauce and aromatics — rinse out wok and wipe down
- Put wok back on stove and turn heat to high
- Drizzle oil enough to coat bottom of the wok
- Splash in the soy sauce and rice wine. Let boil and evaporate for a about a minute
- Toss in minced garlic, ginger, and half of the green onion
- Let it all sizzle and boil for a about a minute for the flavors to meld together while giving it a stir (about 2 minutes)
- Pour over plated fish
- Garnish with cilantro and the rest of the green onion
It's in the cheeks
Kitchen Notes
- Which fish? – You need a white-fleshed fish for this recipe. Striped bass or sea bass are all good options, as long as it’s a white fish. Fun fact: if you’re a conscious consumer and want to practice purchasing sustainable fish, check out this Seafood Watch Guide, put together by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which lists responsible seafood choices and those to avoid. Keep it handy the next time you’re planning for seafood in the kitchen.
- Preparing the fish – You need a whole fish for this recipe. Check out your local fish market or Asian market — they usually have a ton of fresh seafood. And most importantly, ask your fish monger to scale and de-gut the fish only, keeping the fins, head, and tail.
- Best part of the fish? Did you know that the best part of the fish is in the cheeks? That’s right. Next time you eat fish, don’t forget to peel open the cheeks for the most tender part of the fish. (Thanks for the fresh tip, Dad)
- Making the Sauce – this part is fast. Turn on the high heat, drizzle in the oil, soy sauce and rice wine. Toss in the green onion, ginger, and garlic. And let it boil and sizzle together in a quick flash fry. This will take only a few minutes.
Goes Great With...
What to pair, what to pair with this delicious Cantonese-Style Steamed Fish?
As with many Chinese dinners, steam some rice to serve as a blank complementary canvas for this flavorful and aromatic fish. Or better yet, eat with some noodles – try our Zha Jiang Mian (fried sauce noodles) (recipe), a Chinese comfort classic.
And of course, cook up a vegetable. No meal would be balanced without a vegetable on the side. Stir-fry some gailan, on-choy, or if you’re feeling like blending cultural palettes, give the Roasted Sweet Potato Brussel Sprouts (recipe) a try.
Let me know what you think!
Did you try this recipe? Leave a comment or share, and let me know what you think. Happy simple, wabi sabi eats!
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One Comment
Maggie Miller
I’ve been eating more fish lately- can’t wait to try this!!