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A plate of steamed chinese fish

Chinese Steamed Fish with Ginger and Spring Onions

A fabulous and a very delicious way of eating fresh barramundi fish! This Chinese steamed fish is one that celebrates the freshness of fish and what better combination than the classic ginger and spring onions (scallions)!
5 from 6 votes
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Marinate Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 241kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 fillets fresh white fish ~200g/7oz each (note 1)
  • 2 spring onions/scallions sliced into thin matchsticks
  • cm /1inch fresh ginger sliced into thin matchsticks
  • 2 tablespoon oil canola or sunflower
  • 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine substitute: mirin or dry sherry
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon salt ~4 small pinches

Instructions

  • Roughly separate the green and white parts of the thinly sliced spring onions/scallions matchsticks. Set aside. (note 2)

Marinate the fish fillets

  • With a sharp knife, gently make 2 - 3 slanted incisions into the flesh of the fish fillets. Skin side up, about ½cm/¼inch deep. Be careful not to slice all the way through. (note 3)
  • Lightly season the fish with salt, about a small pinch per side of each fillet. Gently rub fish fillets all over with the shaoxing wine. Place the fillets into the fridge to allow the seasoning to sip into the fish for about 10 minutes.

Steaming

  • Boil water in a deep pot for steaming over the stove.
  • Take the fish out of the fridge. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil all over the plate (that will be used to hold the fish when steaming), sprinkle half the ginger and half of the white parts of spring onions/scallions. Place fish on top of the ginger and spring onion bed, skin side up.
  • Drizzle soy sauce over the fish fillets and rub evenly.
  • Sprinkle the remaining ginger and white parts of spring onions over the fish fillets. Drizzle the remaining oil over the fish.
  • Place into steamer and steam on high heat for 7 minutes or until fish is cooked. (note 4)
  • To serve, top freshly steamed fish with green parts of spring onions/scallions and serve immediately.

Notes

Note 1. Types of fish to use any white fish works brilliantly with this dish. If you have access to, barramundi fish (aka Asian sea bass) is my favourite fish to use when steaming. It is silky, buttery, meaty and absolutely delicious when steamed. Other great types of fish to use are cod and snapper. 
The most important thing to remember when steaming fish is to use FRESH fish, not thawed. Steamed fish is a very delicate dish, in terms of flavour, so it is crucial to use the freshest fish you can find. To avoid the disappointment of a 'fishy' smell. If the fish is not fresh, best pick a different cooking method such as pan-frying. 
Note 2. White and green parts of spring onions/scallions White parts of spring onions have a stronger, sharper onion flavour compared to the green parts. Whereas the green parts of spring onions are lighter in flavour and thus is used as a vibrant garnish in this recipe. 
Note 3. Making incisions into the fish before steaming helps the fish cook evenly and speeds up the cooking process. A fillet of fish is rarely even in thickness. This step is even more important if you decide to steam a whole fish. 
Note 4. To test if a fish is cooked the old school way that I was taught by my grandma was to pierce the thickest part of the fish, all the way through, with a chopstick. If there is no resistance (unless you hit the bone, then move a little to the side), the fish is cooked. Another way is by using a fork. Poke the thickest part of the fish with a fork and twist it. If the fish flakes off easily then it is cooked. A visual test is if the fish is opaque white and no longer translucent, it is cooked. 
The nutritional values below are estimates and are calculated based on all the ingredients used to make this recipe whether they're fully consumed or not (eg the sauce).
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Nutrition

Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 15.3g | Protein: 38.9g | Fat: 2.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 639mg | Potassium: 114mg | Sugar: 6.6g | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg