Chinese Steamed Fish Recipe (清蒸鱼)

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We love this Chinese steamed fish recipe (qīngzhēng yú | 清蒸鱼) because it's simple, easy to make and full of flavour! With minimal prep and cooking time, you could even treat yourself midweek with this dish.

Fish is very important in Chinese culture, and no feast would be complete without it. In particular, fish is considered an auspicious food for Chinese New Year, as its pronunciation in Mandarin (yú) is a homophone for affluence or abundance. For this reason, whole fish (a symbol of abundance) is typically served at Chinese feasts.

With this Chinese steamed fish recipe, your feasts need never be incomplete! Alternatively, enjoy this dish at any time of year, it's that easy to make. Traditionally, carp would be used in Chinese cuisine, but any white flesh fish (including bream, bass, snapper, tilapia) would work well. And whilst it's considered lucky to serve whole fish at feasts, you could easily use fillets for this recipe for everyday cooking (just remember to reduce cooking time).

What makes this Chinese steamed fish recipe work so well is the simplicity of it. The ingredient list is not long, yet when they all come together, they deliver a flavourful punch but not so much as to drown out the delicate taste of the fish. Steamed fish is a delight to eat because of its moist and tender texture that practically dissolves in your mouth.

The Chinese, being a traditionally superstitious culture, would say that you should never flip a fish. You should first eat all the meat on the top side, then remove the backbone to eat the meat on the bottom side. And if you're serving fish at a feast, it is tradition and a sign of respect to point the head of the fish towards the eldest or most important person at the table. Superstitions aside, you should feel free to enjoy your fish in any way you like - it will taste great all the same!

Chinese steamed fish is best enjoyed straight away. Serve with steamed rice and stir fried greens (such as broccoli with oyster sauce) for a simple midweek meal, or include it in your Chinese New Year or other celebratory feast. Just don't forget to drizzle the sauce over the fish and rice - it's what keeps you coming back for more!

Tips for achieving the best Chinese steamed fish

1. Ideally, you would have a lidded pan that is large enough to fit the plate on which you will be steaming the fish. If you have a large enough pan without a lid, use a sheet of foil to cover the pan during steaming.
2. Take the fish out of the fridge at least 30-45 minutes before cooking to take the chill off. If you prepare it in advance and store it in the fridge, do not store it on the plate you will use to steam it (the plate will probably still be too cold and therefore increase the cooking time - transfer to another, room-temperature plate).
3. If your fish is too long for your plate, you can cheat and cut it in half for steaming and then piece it back together for serving. Just make sure to adjust your cooking time downwards, as two smaller pieces of fish will cook faster than one larger one.
4. If you simply cannot find a way to cook one large fish, then cook two smaller ones! This happens to be another lucky tradition for Chinese New Year, as you would then eat one fish on New Year's Eve and the other on New Year's Day to symbolise year on year affluence. Bear in mind that, as above, two smaller fish will require slightly less cooking time than one larger one.

Here's what you'll need for this Chinese steamed fish recipe:
(Click here to jump straight to the recipe)

1 large white flesh fish (~750g), scaled and gutted
3 stalks spring onions
30g piece of fresh root ginger
3 Tbsp sunflower (or other flavourless vegetable) oil
4 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
3/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp ground white pepper

And here's what you'll need to do:

• Peel the ginger, and slice it into fine strips. Rinse and trim the spring onions, finely slicing them into 4-5cm segments.
• Prepare the fish by removing the scales and gutting it, or have your fishmonger do this for you. Leave the fins on for a complete look. Rinse the fish thoroughly under running water, and pat dry with kitchen paper.
• Using a sharp knife, make several slices, at a 45-degree angle about 2cm apart, into one side of the fish. Flip over and repeat on the other side.
• Stuff about a third of the spring onion and ginger into the belly of the fish.

• Put the remainder in between the sliced flesh, and after transferring the fish onto the plate that you will use to steam it, scatter some below and on top of the fish.
• Place a trivet or small bowl inside a pan large enough to fit the steaming plate. To help lift the hot plate out when the fish is done steaming, I like to make a sling by folding a sheet of foil and placing it underneath the plate.
• Add water to your pan to come up just below the top of the trivet. Bring it to the boil, then gently place the plate with fish and sling (if using) on top of the trivet.
• Cover the pan with a lid or sheet of foil, and steam on high heat. My fish took about 16 minutes of steaming on high heat to cook through, but this can vary depending on the size and temperature of the fish. If in doubt, check on your fish periodically to ensure doneness, and don't let the water in the pan boil dry.

• Meanwhile, mix together the soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, sugar and white pepper in a separate bowl, and set aside until needed.
• The fish is ready when the flesh is opaque and pulls away easily from the bones - check the bottom of the fish, in particular, as that side takes longer to cook.
• Lift the plate carefully out of the steamer, and either drain the cooking fluid (use oven mitts!) or transfer the fish and trimmings to a serving plate.
• Heat the oil to smoking point in a small saucepan, and pour this over the top of the fish.
• Then add the soy sauce mixture to the same saucepan, and heat it until bubbling. Pour this sauce, as well, over the top of the fish, and serve immediately.

Chinese Steamed Fish Recipe (清蒸鱼)

By Wendy | Serves 4

This simple Chinese steamed fish recipe incorporates basic ingredients into a delicious meal, making it a popular way to enjoy fish.

Prep Time: 10 minutes plus time for fish to rest at room temperature
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Serves: 4
Course: Main, Lunch, Dinner
Cuisine: Modern Chinese
Tags: Chinese Recipes, Fish Recipes

Ingredients

1 large white flesh fish (~750g), scaled and gutted
3 stalks spring onions
30g piece of fresh root ginger
3 Tbsp sunflower (or other flavourless vegetable) oil
4 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
3/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp ground white pepper

Method

1. Peel the ginger, and slice it into fine strips. Rinse and trim the spring onions, finely slicing them into 4-5cm segments.
2. Prepare the fish by removing the scales and gutting it, or have your fishmonger do this for you. Leave the fins on for a complete look. Rinse the fish thoroughly under running water, and pat dry with kitchen paper.
3. Using a sharp knife, make several slices, at a 45-degree angle about 2cm apart, into one side of the fish. Flip over and repeat on the other side.
4. Stuff about a third of the spring onion and ginger into the belly of the fish.
5. Put the remainder in between the sliced flesh, and after transferring the fish onto the plate that you will use to steam it, scatter some below and on top of the fish.
6. Place a trivet or small bowl inside a pan large enough to fit the steaming plate. To help lift the hot plate out when the fish is done steaming, I like to make a sling by folding a sheet of foil and placing it underneath the plate.
7. Add water to your pan to come up just below the top of the trivet. Bring it to the boil, then gently place the plate with fish and sling (if using) on top of the trivet.
8. Cover the pan with a lid or sheet of foil, and steam on high heat. My fish took about 16 minutes of steaming on high heat to cook through, but this can vary depending on the size and temperature of the fish. If in doubt, check on your fish periodically to ensure doneness, and don't let the water in the pan boil dry.
9. Meanwhile, mix together the soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, sugar and white pepper in a separate bowl, and set aside until needed.
10. The fish is ready when the flesh is opaque and pulls away easily from the bones - check the bottom of the fish, in particular, as that side takes longer to cook.
11. Lift the plate carefully out of the steamer, and either drain the cooking fluid (use oven mitts!) or transfer the fish and trimmings to a serving plate.
12. Heat the oil to smoking point in a small saucepan, and pour this over the top of the fish.
13. Then add the soy sauce mixture to the same saucepan, and heat it until bubbling. Pour this sauce, as well, over the top of the fish, and serve immediately.

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