Cantonese-Style Steamed Fish

Courtesy of the New York Times

Yield: 3 to 4 servings
Total Time: 35 minutes (5 minutes prep time, 30 minutes cook time)

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Ingredients

• 1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems separated from larger stems

• 1 (1½-inch) knob fresh young ginger (about 1 ounce; see Tip), scrubbed

• 6 whole scallions, ends trimmed

• 2 tablespoons Chinese light soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• 1 whole white-fleshed fish, cleaned and gutted, about 1½ to 2½ pounds (or 1 to 1½ pounds lean white fish fillets, see Tip)

• Salt

• 3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola

• 1 small hot, fresh red pepper, such as Fresno or Thai bird’s-eye, thinly sliced (optional)

Direction

1. Fill a salad spinner with very cold water, and add cilantro leaves and tender stems. Rinse larger cilantro stems and scatter in a plate large enough to fit your fish.

2. Trim the skin and small knobs off the ginger, and scatter trimmings over the plated cilantro stems. Cut the peeled ginger lengthwise into the thinnest planks you can, then cut those planks into slivers — the thinner, the better – and transfer to the salad spinner.

3. Roughly split scallions where the light green parts transition to dark green. Add dark green ends to the plate.

4. Cut scallion whites and light green parts crosswise into rough 2-inch segments, then split each in half lengthwise. Laying each half segment cut side down on the cutting board, slice it lengthwise into the thinnest slivers you can and add to the salad spinner.

5. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, sherry, sugar and 1 tablespoon water until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Set aside.

6. Place a steaming rack or a few clean, empty tuna cans with tops and bottoms removed in a wide, deep, lidded pan or wok, add enough water to reach just below the top of the rack, then bring the water to a boil over high heat.

7. Meanwhile, if using whole fish, rinse it under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. If fish is 2 pounds or larger, slash deeply through its flesh perpendicular to its spine a couple of times for more even cooking. (No need to rinse or slash fillets.) Lightly salt the fish, stuffing a few aromatics from the plate into the whole fish’s cavity, if necessary. Place fish on aromatics, shingling fillets, if necessary, to fit.

8. Transfer plate to the steamer, cover, and steam until the meat near the thickest part of the fleshy neck of the fish (or the thickest part of a fillet) shows little resistance or flakes when poked, about 7 to 10 minutes for flat fish and thin fillets, and 9 to 12 minutes for round fish.

9. With a thin metal spatula (or two), carefully transfer fish to a serving platter. Alternatively, if you don’t mind guests picking out the ginger skin and cilantro stems, serve the fish on the steaming plate. Just drain the liquid by holding the fish down gently with a spatula as you tilt the plate over the sink. Pour the sauce mixture over the hot fish.

10. Drain and spin aromatics in the salad spinner and toss them into a tangled bird’s nest. Spread half of the aromatics over the fish. Sprinkle with chile, if using. Heat the oil in a small skillet until shimmering and just barely starting to smoke. Carefully spoon or pour the hot oil over the aromatics. They should sputter and sizzle significantly (see Tip). Top with remaining fresh aromatics and serve immediately.

TIPS

• Look for small whole fish, like branzino, black sea bass, porgy, rainbow trout, or catfish. Scaled fish should be descaled before cooking (either by yourself or the fishmonger). Flat fish, like flounder, fluke, or sole, are especially good, but can be hard to find whole. For fish fillets, the same species will work, as will thinner filets of most lean white fish, like tilapia, halibut or cod. Even very oily fish like Chilean sea bass or black cod (sablefish) are great, but note that the flavor of the dish will become significantly heavier.

• If using fillets of leaner salmonids, such as steelhead trout, Arctic char, coho or sockeye, salt them and let them rest uncovered in your fridge for several hours or up to overnight to improve texture and reduce the amount of coagulated white albumen proteins that appear as they cook.

• Young ginger has a tender interior and tight, thin skin that peel easily if you scratch it with your thumb. Avoid fibrous older ginger.

• Chinese-style light soy sauce can be found in any Asian market or in most well-stocked supermarkets. You can also use a Japanese-style shoyu in its place.

• Pouring hot oil over the fish tableside is not only dramatic, it also releases a burst of aromas. Because hot oil can cause severe injuries, make this dish in the kitchen a few times before you are confident you can do it without accidentally frying a guest.