Cantonese Style Steamed Fish Food

CANTONESE STEAMED FISH

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients.
• Soak dried mushrooms. Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl. Pour over boiling water to cover and soak 20 minutes until soft. Meanwhile, you can prepare other ingredients. Once hydrated, strain the liquid into another bowl, squeezing any excess liquid from the mushrooms (this is Shiitake Dashi, and you can use this umami-rich broth in other cooking). Cut off the stems (discard them) and slice the mushrooms.
• Slice the tomato, cut green onions into matchsticks, and peel ginger and cut into fine matchsticks.
• Rinse the fish inside and out under running cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Using a sharp knife, make three diagonal slits on both sides of the fish.
• Arrange the tomato on the base of a heatproof platter that will fit inside a wok. Lay the fish on top.
• Mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and rice wine in a small bowl and season with pepper.
• Pour the sauce over the fish and sprinkle over the mushrooms and ginger. Cover with saran wrap and leave to marinate in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

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 SALMON CANTONESE STYLE

Steps:

• To steam in a wok, cross two chopsticks in an X, then cut a groove in the lower chopstick so that the top one fits snugly.
• Set the chopsticks in the wok and add water to 1 inch below the level of the chopsticks.
• Place lid on wok and turn heat to high.
• Place the salmon, skin side down, on a glass pie plate or rimmed glass plate slightly smaller than the diameter of the wok.
• Cover with ginger slices.
• Pour rice wine and fish sauce over fish.
• When the water is boiling, remove the lid from the wok and position the plate containing the salmon and seasonings on top of the chopsticks.
• Replace the lid and cook 7 to 8 minutes, or until the salmon just turns opaque and begins to flake.
• Two to three minutes before the salmon is done steaming, heat the peanut oil in a small skillet over high heat.
• When the oil is very hot, add the garlic and cook until browned.
• Discard the garlic, but do not turn off the heat until you use the oil; it must be very hot to sear the fish properly.
• When the salmon is cooked, transfer to a warm plate.
• Place green onion strips on top of the fish and immediately pour hot oil over the fish and onions.
• Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve immediately.
• Serves 2 as an entree, 4 as an appetizer.

STEAMED CANTONESE-STYLE FISH

Steps:

• Pat the fish fillets dry with kitchen paper if needed, and season. Put on a heatproof plate and scatter over the shredded ginger.
• Pour water into a wok or deep pan to a depth of 2.5-5cm (1-2in) and insert a steaming rack. If you don't have a steaming rack, use an upturned heatproof dish to make a trivet. Put the pan on a high heat and bring the water to the boil.
• Put the plate of fish on the steaming rack or heatproof dish. Cover with a lid and gently steam for 10-12 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flaky.
• Remove the fish from the wok and divide between 4 plates. Drizzle over the light and dark soy sauces and scatter over the spring onions.
• Heat the oil in a small pan until smoking hot and carefully pour over each piece of fish. It will sizzle a little. Scatter over the coriander and serve immediately.

CANTONESE STYLE STEAMED FISH

Steps:

• Place the fish in a large bowl.
• Add the rice wine, soy sauce, chopped ginger and sesame oil, and toss lightly to coat.
• Cover with clingfilm and leave to marinade in the fridge for 10 minutes.
• Arrange the fish on a heatproof plate, with the marinade, and place in a steamer. Steam over simmering water in a covered wok for 5-8 minutes, or until the fish flakes when the skin is pressed firmly or the dorsal fin pulls out easily.
• Remove the fish from the steamer and place in a heatproof platter.
• Heat a wok over high heat, add the oil and heat until smoking.
• Sprinkle the steamed fish with the spring onion, shredded ginger and pepper, and slowly pour the hot oil over the fish.
• This will cause the skin to crisp, and cook the garnish.