Scorching Ginger Steamed Fish

Scorching Ginger Steamed Fish – named as such as a result of the ginger and inexperienced onion topping sizzles dramatically if you pour scorching oil over oven steamed fish! An extremely easy method to make a wholesome fish recipe an entire lot extra thrilling with recent Asian flavours.

Pouring hot oil over sizzling ginger steamed fish

Does anyone bounce up and down with pleasure on the considered steamed fish for dinner? Wholesome , sure. But additionally….kinda bland….

I do know, I do know, I actually need to develop up. I can already see my mom rolling her eyes when she reads this. 😂

Nonetheless, as we speak’s Scorching Ginger Fish is a steamed fish recipe I DO get enthusiastic about!

It’s a less complicated model of a Cantonese dish the place an entire fish is steamed, drizzled with soy sauce then scorching oil is poured over a inexperienced onion and ginger topping which makes it sizzle dramatically. When you’re an entire fish sort of particular person (and each chef will let you know it’s the easiest way to prepare dinner fish) right here’s my recipe, pictured under.

Conventional Cantonese complete Scorching Ginger Fish which as we speak’s recipe is predicated

A Chinese Steamed Fish topped with Ginger and Shallots and seasonings, with hot oil poured over it to create a dramatic sizzle and an amazing sauce. So simple, yet so utterly delicious. Steam OR bake the fish! recipetineats.com — Conventional complete steamed ginger shallot fish

At the moment, I’m sharing a better model. Identical flavours and the identical dramatic scorching (I used to be by no means going to offer that up!). Besides we’re utilizing fish fillets and steaming them within the oven inside foil packets. Which suggests – much less washing up. Glorious!

That dramatic scorching oil sizzle!

The important thing step on this recipe is the recent oil drizzle. Simply 1 tablespoon per fillet, and three necessary issues occur:

the recent oil semi-cooks the inexperienced onion and ginger which additionally flavours the oil itself;
it gently sears the floor of the fish; and
the oil runs off the fish into the foil boat to mingle with the soy sauce, sesame oil, cooking sake and fish juices to create a very tasty sauce.

Extreme squidging of each chunk of fish in that tasty sauce isn’t solely strongly inspired, it’s a necessary a part of the consuming expertise!

Close up photo of eating Sizzling ginger fish

Elements in Scorching Ginger Steamed Fish

Right here’s what you’ll want to make this.

Finest fish

Fish kind and form – Extra delicate white fish fillets, skinless. Skinny fillets advisable, round 1.5cm / 2/3″ thick (on the thickest level), for higher scorching floor space to fish ratio. The recipe does work advantageous with thicker fillets however the bake time will likely be longer than the 12 minutes per the recipe.

Nice fish for this recipe – barramundi, snapper, basa, jewfish, blue eye cod (trevalla), tilapia, cod, halibut, pollock, hake, John Dory, silver dory, gummy shark (flake). I believe salmon and trout are somewhat too sturdy flavoured – although the recipe will work advantageous.

Meatier, firmer fish like ling and monkfish work advantageous however personally for this dish, I believe it’s higher with barely softer white fish fillets (higher sauce dispersion all through flakes).

Keep in mind, the form of fish signifies that you get thick cuts from the primary physique in addition to skinny cuts from in the direction of the tail. Go for the thinner cuts!

Frozen fish works simply advantageous, thaw then pat dry nicely earlier than utilizing.

Fish to keep away from

I like to recommend avoiding:

Fish that dry out simply when cooked – Like swordfish, tuna, bonito, kingfish, marlin, mackerel. Except you’re extraordinarily cautious they’ll turn out to be dry inside so are very vulnerable to overcooking within the oven. I really feel these fish are (principally) higher in uncooked/uncommon type equivalent to Ceviche, Poke Bowls, Tartare (additionally see Tuna Steak);
Oily, “fishy” fish – Like mullet and sardines (attempt this recipe for sardines!).

The scorching sauce & toppings

The sesame oil, soy and cooking sake are the seasonings. The ginger and inexperienced onion are the recent aromatics, the purple chilli is for color and a touch of heat (totally non-compulsory). The oil creates the sizzle – when poured over the ginger and inexperienced onion!

Cooking sake – That is Japanese sake meant for cooking functions (not nice to drink). Like Chinese language cooking wine, white and purple wine utilized in Western cooking, it provides a contact of depth of flavour that you could actually solely get from alcohol.

Discover it within the Asian aisle of huge grocery shops, and Asian shops. When you can’t devour alcohol, simply depart it out.
Soy sauce – Use gentle or all-purpose soy sauce. Don’t use darkish soy sauce, too intense!
Sesame oil (toasted) – Use toasted sesame oil which is brown and has extra flavour than untoasted (which is yellow). Default sesame oil bought in Australia is toasted, untoasted is more durable to seek out.
Peanut oil – Or some other impartial flavoured oil.
Ginger – Recent ginger, julienned finely (ie very advantageous batons) so that they partially prepare dinner when the recent oil is poured over!
Inexperienced onion – The inexperienced half solely, finely sliced on the diagonal. We solely use the inexperienced half as a result of it’s extra delicate so it too partially cooks when the recent oil is poured over.
Purple chilli is for visible functions primarily and a contact of heat spice (giant chillies are usually not that spicy). Be happy to omit.

The way to make Scorching Ginger Fish

Foil packets serve a double goal – all of the moisture is locked inside because the fish steams gently, plus minimal washing up!

Season fish – Place a ~25cm/10″ sheet of foil on a piece floor and high with a chunk of paper that’s barely smaller, as pictured. Put the fish on the paper, sprinkle both sides with a pinch of salt and pepper then drizzle the highest solely with the cooking sake.
Paper packet – Wrap the fish up within the paper first, folding the seams to seal. No should be a present-wrapping grasp right here, simply so long as it’s principally sealed to maintain within the steam!
Foil packet – Then wrap the paper packet up with the foil.
Bake – Place the foil packets on a tray and bake for 12 minutes at 200°C/400°F (180°C fan) or till the interior temperature is 55°C/130°F. I pierce thermometer by means of foil. When you don’t have a thermometer, simply open the packet and make sure the fish flesh flakes.

12 minutes?! Is that lengthy sufficient? Sure it’s, in case you have a reasonably skinny fillet round 1.7cm / 2/3″ thick that weighs 180g/6 oz. Skinny fish cooks quick when enclosed!

Relaxation 3 minutes – Take away fish from the tray and placed on dinner plates. Open the packets – cautious of scorching steam! Scrunch/fold down the edges to type a sauce-catching moat across the fish. Go away to relaxation for 3 minutes whilst you warmth the oil.
Warmth oil – Put the oil in a small saucepan or skillet on medium excessive. Warmth the oil up – it’ll take lower than a minute. You don’t want it so scorching the oil is smoking. Simply maintain your hand above the oil and you’ll really feel the warmth. Additionally, oil will get thinner when scorching.
Fish toppings – Pile the inexperienced onion, ginger and chilli (if utilizing) on every fish. Drizzle over the soy and sesame oil.
Sizzle! Pour the recent oil over the toppings. True to it’s identify, it’ll bubble and sizzle dramatically! As described earlier, the oil cooks / is flavoured by the inexperienced onion and ginger and it gently sears the floor of the fish. Then when it settles within the foil boat it mixes up with the soy sauce, sesame oil, cooking sake and fish juices to type a part of a tasty sauce that you simply squidge each chunk of fish in.

Now – time to dig in!

Pouring hot oil over Sizzling ginger fish

Issues of consuming Scorching Ginger Fish

Scorching Ginger Fish is designed to be eaten out of the foil boat. The thought is that the foil boat holds all of the sauce in, and as you break off the tender flakes of fish, you swish it round within the sauce earlier than consuming it.

Plus, when you’ve used a very good juicy piece of fish, you need to even have loads of sauce to make use of for dressing up a bowl of rice on the facet to fill out your meal. Add a bowl of prompt miso soup (THERE IS NO SHAME) and also you’ve bought a brilliantly easy, wholesome dinner that’s one thing somewhat bit totally different to the standard.

And take a look at that! Hardly any dishes to scrub up. You kitchen goddess, you. (Or god) – Nagi x

Watch find out how to make it

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Scorching Ginger Steamed Fish | RecipeTin Eats