That Asian Home Cook – Ginger Soy Oven Steamed Fish 

As an Asian, I find there is something special about a whole cooked fish– head, tail and all. Married to a European who will hardly tolerate a fish bone, let alone an entire piece of protein-cooked bone-in, I can relate to how this may seem like an entirely unappealing way to serve fish. Still, I would love for you to try this whole steamed fish version. It’s super easy and very yummy. There is always the option to opt for fish fillets here if you must. 

Ingredients

  • 1 whole dourada fish (medium-sized around 400-500gm) 
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp premium light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp ShaoXing wine
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Thumb-sized ginger, sliced thinly 
  • 2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly 
  • 1/4 cup of spring onions (scallions) chopped 
  • 1/4 cup coriander chopped 

Instructions

Heat up your oven to 200 ºC. Gut and clean your fish if you didn’t get your fishmonger to help you out with this already (which I always do). 

Pat fish dry with a kitchen paper towel. Using a sharp knife, score the fish at an angle to create two to three stripes. The reason we score fish is so that the seasoning flavours can reach deep into the flesh. 

Pour the sesame oil and ShaoXing Wine over the fish and coat evenly. 

Stuff the fish cavity with some of the sliced ginger and garlic, placing the remaining slices on the top of the fish or if you like, inserting them between each score. 

Place fish onto an oven tray and cover tightly with aluminium foil. Oven steam for around 20-25 mins and then remove. 

The second part involves heating up vegetable oil on a pan. While you are waiting for the oil to heat, pour your soy sauce all over the fish. Once the oil is piping hot, pour it over the fish. You will hear a sizzle as the fish scalds in the heat and the soy sauce heats up. Dress with spring onions, coriander and if you like, fried shallots and garlic. 

Wine Pairing

Fish always goes great with white wine. I would opt for a dry and mildly fruity to balance out the salty flavours of this steamed fish dish. 

Fun Fact

In Asian custom, whole steamed fish symbolises prosperity and luck. Typically served at Lunar New Year celebrations, keeping the head and tail intact is crucial to represent this concept of abundance. 

Other easy ways to steam fish without a traditional steamer:

Wrap fish fillets tightly in parchment paper and bake at 200ºC for around 15 minutes so fish streams within the package. 

Place the fish in a raised plate and steam in a pot for 15-20 minutes over boiling water. 

Steam fish fillets covered in the microwave on high for 8-10 minutes.

Top Tips

If you do not have Shao Xing wine, which is a Chinese cooking wine, you can quite easily replace it with Dry Sherry or Japanese Mirin. 

A fabulous collection of Asian condiments are now available at Go Mini Market, formerly known as Go Dutch. They have recently expanded and are now located in a much bigger space offering an even wider selection of Asian foodstuff near the Marina in Lagos. 

R. Gomes Vinagre 13 Loja 2, 8600-315 Lagos

gominimarket.eu

Joy Entry is a Malaysian home cook based in Lagos who is obsessed with the provocative, unapologetic flavours of South-East Asian cuisine 

Instagram: @thatasianhomecook 

 joyentry@gmail.com 

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