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Steamed Fish

7/3/2020, 7:00:00 AM

Seabass is prob better baked because it’s fatty

We’ve done Bronzino, cod, tilapia, and catfish. Smaller fish are easier to evenly cook. Aim for 1.5 lbs, good for 2 people. More than 2.5 lbs gets tricky because the tail is overcooked but the belly undercooked. For larger fish, chop into smaller chunks for even cooking, or pan fry them instead.

Scaled, gutted, whole fresh fish. I usually leave the head and tail on but no fins. Look for Mexican or Asian supermarkets.

We use a large wok with a lid to steam by putting a plate over a metal thing. Plate on spoons in a large sauce pan or pot also works.

  1. On a plate, stuff fish with green onion, top with ginger slices. Optionally place 2” pieces of whites of green onion below fish to lift it up.
  2. Mix ~2tbsp soy sauce, ~1tbsp sugar, and 1 tbsp [mirin or sake or xiao shing or white wine]. Sweet is good. Every soy sauce is different, taste yours for salty sweet balance.
  3. Steam well covered over medium heat on aggressively boiling water for ~6 minutes per lbs or when center is 110F. Residual heat will make it land at 120-125F. Thermometer is super useful here, but you can just check with a fork for flakiness.
  4. Pour out the accumulated water from the plate, it’s bitter and foul.
  5. Top with fresh sliced scallions and spoon hot oil 450F over, maybe 2 tbsp. Pour sauce on top, about equal amounts to oil.

Jenny loves eating the cheeks and eyeballs

The belly is usually pretty fatty and not great

Serve with stir fried bok choy and white rice.

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