The Cantonese-style steamed fish (or qīng zhēng) is a favourite of ours!
While the dish may appear simple, skill and techniques are required to cook the perfect fish!
Obviously, the fish should be fresh. More importantly – timing is everything!The flesh should be silky smooth and tender. Hence, time spent in the steamer is key to ensure the fish is not under- or over-cooked.
The soy-sauce dressing is so simple and delicate, but works so well when topped with julienned ginger and scallion. This is truly a gorgeous dish that we can it solely with a bowl of rice. Yums!
KEY TIPS:
* We used grouper (sek pan or kerapu), but this style should work with siakap (barramundi) or pomfret as well.
* Timing is everything. We only needed 8 minutes to steam this 650g fish. The perfect steaming time varies based on your fish size and steamer used. If your fish is similarly sized, we suggest steaming for 8 minutes first over high heat – and check to see if the fish is cooked (flesh should separate easily from bone). Steam for another 2 minutes if it’s under-cooked.
* For this round, we arranged the fish liddat so it looks pretty. We cut two slits along the dorsal fin to ensure fish is cooked evenly (and easy to check if it is cooked).
* We steam the fish with scallion to lend a subtle aroma to fish during cooking. Some like to add ginger, but we think it is unnecessary. After steaming, remove any residual liquid from the dish.
* We prepare the sauce (and heat up oil) while waiting for fish to cook. When done – garnish with ginger and scallion, and douse the fish with sauce and hot oil. Enjoy immediately!
Cantonese steamed grouper 清蒸鱼 RECIPE
Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy2
servings15
minutes8
minutesCantonese-style steamed grouper.
Ingredients
1 whole fresh grouper (about 650g)
2-inch ginger, julienned
1 stalk scallion, cut into 2-inch length
1 stalk scallion, cut into 2-inch length, julienned
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
2 tbsp cooking oil
- Soy sauce mix
4 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
dash of white pepper
3 tbsp water
Directions
- Clean fish thoroughly. Arrange the 2-inch cut scallion in a steaming plate. Cut open fish along the bottom middle part and make two slits along the dorsal fin. Place fish on scallion in the steaming plate. Drizzle 1 tbsp of shaoxing wine over fish.
- Heat up water in a wok/steamer over high heat. When it begins to boil, place fish on a trivet. Cover and steam for 8 minutes.
- While fish is cooking, prepare soy sauce mix. Also, heat up 2-3 tbsp of cooking oil over medium heat in a pan.
- When fish is cooked, discard the fish water and scallion. Place the julienned scallion and ginger on top of fish. Pour half of the heated cooking oil over fish. Mix the remaining oil with soy sauce mix and pour over fish. Enjoy immediately!
