I tried a recipe to prepare fish in a style that I’ve enjoyed since I was a kid. Not only did it come out super tender, it was tasty as well!
Below are some links to more details, including photos:
My Story
Recently for Lunar New Year, I wanted to celebrate it by serving steamed whole fish, a common dish eaten during this time. The last time I made it this way, I used steam fish soy sauce as a condiment. However, this time, I wanted to create the sauce, so off I went to internet for ideas!
Inspiring Recipe
I found a recipe, Cantonese Steamed Fish With Ginger and Shallots, on Wok & Kin, a blog. Not only did it show me how to make the fish, it also walked me through the steps of picking out a fresh fish and serving it like a restaurant would!
First Try
I had all the ingredients at home, except for the fish, so I purchased a bass that weighed .94 pound the day I wanted to steam it.
Ingredients to Use
I used all the ingredients listed in the recipe, but with a minor adjustment for each of the sections. For steaming, the ginger that I broke off ended up being a little more than 20 grams at 20.97 grams (.74 ounces). As for the sauce, I used brown sugar instead of white sugar based on what was in the cabinet.
Steps to Prepare
As for the instructions, I didn’t feel that it was necessary to prepare the fish as noted because the scales, gills, and fins were removed by the fish monger and the whole fish fit on the plate without me having to trim the tail.
In addition, steaming the fish for 10 minutes was enough to cook it through.
Time to Eat
After sizzling the aromatics and adding the sauce, it was time to dig in!
Recipe Rating
Below were the results of the recipe after the first try:
| # of Ingredients | Effort | $ / Serving | Try Again? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 * |  | |  |
The smooth and tender fish was flavored just right with the tasty sweet soy sauce. What kept it from being perfect was that it was cold by the time I ate it!
Second Try
During the second attempt, I not only aimed to serve a warm fish, but also wanted to have a larger fish, so there was more goodness to go around.
Ingredients to Use
This time I purchased a black cod that weighed 2.08 pounds, but kept the rest of the ingredients about the same.
Steps to Prepare
Since the fish was longer and a little over twice as heavy this time, I had to trim the tail so that the entire thing would fit on the plate. Also, I had to double the steaming time to 20 minutes.
Time to Eat
After separating the bone from the meat, dinner was ready!
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:
| # of Ingredients | Effort | $ / Serving | Try Again? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 * | | | |
The black cod had really soft meat, but it could’ve used more sauce.
After another practice session with steaming a fish, I think I’ll be able to create better results. Next time, I’ll do the following with a fish weighing two pounds:
Continuous Improvement
- Double the rest of the ingredients.
Going through the experience of steaming a whole fish, I learned that I will need to use something other than a wok steamer if I wanted to cook a larger fish. Related to this idea, what I would teach my younger self would be as follows:
Lesson for Dumber Self
- Find an alternative method to do something if you come across a limitation.
What will you do now?
Next Step for You
- Try the recipe, Cantonese Steamed Fish With Ginger and Shallots, from the blog, Wok & Kin?
- Share your favorite fish to steam?
- Read another post on this site? (Go to the menu at the top of the page.)
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