Whole Steamed Sea Bass Or Other Fish Recipes

STEAMED SEA BASS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put half the ginger in the cavity of the fish, then lay it on foil. Pull the sides of the foil up around the fish to create a foil bowl, then add 1 tbsp water (this will steam the fish), seal and cook in the oven for 15-20 mins or a large bamboo steamer until the fish is flaking apart.
• Transfer to a serving platter, leaving the juices in the foil. Heat the soy sauces, oil and palm sugar in a saucepan with 1 tbsp water until boiling and bubbling. Top the fish with the spring onion, chilli, most of the coriander and the rest of the ginger. Pour the hot liquid over the fish to 'cook' the aromatics on top. Scatter over any leftover coriander stalks to serve.

CHINESE STEAMED SEA BASS

Steps:

• Season sea bass with salt.
• Place 1/3 of the spring onions and ginger onto a glass or ceramic plate; cover with sea bass. Scatter remaining spring onions and ginger over the sea bass.
• Bring a wide pot of water to a boil. Set a rack inside the boiling water; place the plate of sea bass on top. Cover pot and steam until sea bass flakes easily with a fork, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour out any water that may have collected on the plate.
• Mix soy sauce, chile oil, and sugar together in a small bowl; pour over the sea bass before serving.

CHINESE STEAMED WHOLE FISH

Steps:

• Remove any scales from your fish using a serrated steak knife. The areas to look for are the belly and the edges of the fish including the top, near the dorsal fins, and the head. There is nothing worse than having to pick out scales while you're having dinner.
• Cut off any fins with kitchen shears. They are pretty tough, so be careful with this step. Leave the tail and head in tact for presentation.
• Look at the cavity, and you should see the backbone. You may also see a membrane that you should pierce and cut, revealing a blood line near the bone. Run your finger or a spoon across it to clean it thoroughly.
• Check the head and gills. You should not see any gills left, and if there are, remove them with the kitchen shears and rinse the area clean. Older Chinese folks who like dining on the fish head will appreciate this step.
• Give the fish a final rinse, shake off the excess water (no need to pat it dry) and transfer to a heat-proof plate for steaming. No salt, seasoning, or wine should be used on the fish before steaming. Repeat. Nothing on the fresh fish before steaming!
• For steaming, I used an elongated heat-proof plate. To accommodate that, I needed to MacGyver a steaming apparatus that would fit said plate. It's simple enough. I used a wok and metal steam rack. If you need more height to keep the plate above the water in the wok, set a rack on top of a metal can with both ends removed. It's a handy and cheap addition to your kitchen arsenal!
• Steam for 9 minutes and turn off the heat. Use a butter knife to peek at the meat and confirm the fish is cooked through. The meat should be opaque down to the bone, but the bone should be slightly translucent and not fully cooked (remember, you will not be eating the bone. Trust me on this one!).
• Next, carefully pour off all of the liquid accumulated on the plate from steaming and spread half of the ginger, the green portions of the scallion, and the cilantro over the fish.
• Mix the water, salt, sugar, light soy sauce or seasoned soy sauce, and fresh ground white pepper in a small bowl or measuring cup. Heat 2 tablespoons oil and the other half of the ginger in a saucepan until the ginger begins to sizzle and add in the sauce mixture. Heat the mixture until simmering.
• Once simmering, add the rest of the oil and white portions of the scallion and stir until the liquid begins to simmer and sizzle once again. Spoon the entire mixture evenly over the fish and serve hot!

STEAMED WHOLE FISH

Steps:

• Rinse the fish under cold running water, pat dry, and place on a lightly oiled, heatproof platter that will fit in your steamer or a large roasting pan. Cut 3 deep diagonal gashes along each side of the fish, to allow the flavors to penetrate the meat. Sprinkle the inside cavity and outside of the fish with the salt, squeeze the lemon juice over the fish, drizzle with sesame oil, then stuff the slivered ginger and chopped garlic into the gashes. Scatter the scallions over the fish, and marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Fill the steamer or roasting pan with water to within an inch of the steamer rack, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and add the ginger chunks to the water. Place platter with fish on steaming rack, cover, and steam over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish (plan on 10 minutes for each 1inch of thickness at its widest point).
• About 5 minutes before the fish is done, heat the peanut oil and the sesame oil in a small saucepan until hot, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the soy sauce, lemon juice and sugar.
• Test fish for doneness by poking with a fork or chopsticks. The fish meat should flake easily at its thickest part. Remove from the steamer, pour the hot oil mixture over the fish, and serve immediately.

WHOLE STEAMED FISH

Steps:

• Prep the fish: If the fish still has its fins, use kitchen shears to trim off all but the tail fin. Run your fingers along the skin to feel for and pull off any overlooked scales. Rinse the fish, inside and out, with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
• Season the fish: Sprinkle the fish and its cavity with salt and pepper, making sure to get inside the flesh where it's scored.
• Prep the sauce and hot oil: While the fish is cooking, in a small bowl combine the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and sugar; set aside. Add the oil to a small saucepan.

WHOLE STEAMED SEA BASS OR OTHER FISH

Steps:

• Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil in a bowl. Score each side of the fish 3 or 4 times, diagonally from top to bottom, right down to the bone. Rub the soy mixture into the fish, then put the fish on a plate and refrigerate while you prepare the steamer.
• Put about an inch of water in a steamer, wok, or roasting pan. Place the fish, still on the plate, in the steamer or on a rack in the wok or pan; scatter the ginger over it. Cover and bring to a boil, then steam the fish for about 15 minutes, or until done (the meat near the bone will be opaque or nearly so).
• Garnish the fish with the scallions and cilantro and serve immediately.
• Whole Steamed Fish with Black Beans
• This is considerably less subtle, and many people like it more: to the seasoning mixture, add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and 2 tablespoons fermented black beans (page 207).
• Whole Steamed Fish, Italian Style
• The technique is identical, the ingredients completely different: In step 1, mix together 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (the best you have), the juice of a lemon, 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, and 1 tablespoon minced garlic. Steam as directed and garnish with more chopped fresh parsley. Serve with lemon wedges.

WHOLE SIZZLING FISH

Steps:

• Place 2 cups hot water in a steamer. Place the fish in the steamer and top with the ginger and green onions. Steam, covered, for 8 to 9 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, bring the oil to a gentle boil. Remove the fish from the steamer with a flexible nonstick spatula. Place fish on a deep platter or one with an edge. Pour hot oil over fish for a sizzling presentation. Garnish with fresh lemon or lime wedges. Serve immediately.

COASTAL-STYLE ROASTED SEA BASS OR OTHER LARGE WHOLE FISH

Steps:

• Cut 3 or 4 gashes on each side of the fish, from top to bottom. Salt the gashes and salt the fish's cavity as well. Let it sit while you prepare the other ingredients. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Push half of the garlic slivers into the gashes. Rub the fish with a little of the olive oil and pour the rest into the bottom of a large baking pan. Spread the lemon slices over the bottom of the pan and top it with most of the oregano. Lay the fish over all, then spread the onions and remaining garlic around the fish. Pour the wine over all and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining oregano.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake, undisturbed, until the onions are nearly tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake, shaking the pan occasionally, until the fish is cooked through, another 5 to 10 minutes (look at one of the gashes in the thickest part of the fish; the meat will appear opaque clear down to the central bone). If the pan is drying out, add a little more liquid.
• To serve, scoop the flesh from the fish with a spoon and top with some sauce.
• If the weather's good, and you have access to fennel branches, this is easier: Start by preheating a charcoal or gas grill; the fire should be quite hot and the grill rack about 4 inches from the heat source. Make a bed of fennel stalks directly on the grill bed. Sprinkle 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of sturdy fish fillets, like halibut (these may be steaks), striped bass, monkfish, or cod, with salt and cayenne. Grill right on the branches. While the fish is cooking, grind a teaspoon or more of fennel or dill seeds; juice 1 lemon and thinly slice another. When the fish is done, remove it from the grill, leaving as much of the stalks behind as possible (some of the burned fronds will adhere to the fish; this is fine). Sprinkle the fish with the fennel or dill seeds, then decorate it with the lemon slices. Drizzle with the lemon juice and a bit of olive oil and serve.

STEAMED WHOLE FISH

Steps:

• Prepare fish: Fit a wire rack in the bottom of a large roasting pan (17 1/2 by 12 inches) and add about 1 inch of water (it should come just below the top of the rack). Place pan over two burners on stove and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, rinse fish well inside and out, scraping off any loose scales, and pat dry. Rest the fish on a shallow platter large enough to hold the fish. Tuck the cilantro, half of the lemongrass, and a third of the ginger inside the cavity. Scatter the remaining lemongrass and ginger along with the lime zest, garlic, and half of the scallion over the top of the fish and around the platter. Squeeze half of 1 lime over the fish and drizzle with fish sauce. (Reserve remaining scallion for garnish.)
• Steam fish: Set the platter on the rack in the pan and cover the pan tightly with parchment-lined foil. Steam over medium-high heat until the fish is cooked throughout, about 10 minutes per inch of thickness (25 minutes for a 2 1/2-inch-thick fish). Test by inserting a sharp knife into the flesh near the backbone; the flesh should be opaque and offer little resistance.
• Serve: Remove the foil and lift the platter from the pan, being careful not to spill the juices. Garnish with scallion and cilantro and serve immediately.

WHOLE ROASTED SEA BASS

Steps:

• Season the cavity and exterior of fish with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly brush with oil a baking dish that is just large enough to hold fish without crowding. Divide thyme, rosemary, and parsley evenly between each fish, and place inside cavity. Place 2 bay leaves in cavity of each fish, and place remaining 2 bay leaves in baking dish. Sprinkle scallions over and around fish; drizzle with olive oil.
• Transfer to oven and roast 15 minutes. Continue to roast, checking every few minutes, until the thickest part of the fish is just firm, about 5 minutes more.
• Drizzle fish with lemon juice and transfer to a cutting board; set baking dish aside. Working from the head to the tail, cut along backbone to separate the flesh from the bone. Carefully lift top fillet and transfer to a plate. Lift and discard bones. Gently lift second fillet to same plate. Repeat process with remaining fish. Drizzle with any pan juices before serving.