Cantonese-Style Steamed Whole Fish (Zheng Yu)
Cantonese-Style Steamed Whole Fish (Zheng Yu)
Ingredients
- 1 fresh sea bream, about 1 ½ lb (675 g) with head intact, scaled and eviscerated (see note)
- ½ cup (125 ml) water
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) Shaoxing rice wine, sherry or sake
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) dark soy sauce or 2 tbsp (30 ml) regular soy sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp (5 ml) toasted sesame oil
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 4 green onions, white parts cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces, green parts sliced into long julienne
- 3 pieces fresh ginger, each about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long, peeled
- ¼ cup (10 g) cilantro leaves
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, julienned
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
Instructions
- Rinse the fish under cold running water. Drain and pat very dry with paper towels. Set aside on a plate.
- In a bowl, whisk together the water, rice wine, soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil.
- Arrange the onions and white parts of the green onions at the centre of a 12-inch (30 cm) round, 2 ½-inch (6 cm) deep Dutch oven or a large, deep non-stick skillet to create a bed to lay the fish over. Arrange the ginger pieces vertically to create supports to hold the fish up. Pour the sauce into the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil. Place the fish on the ginger supports. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Spoon the sauce over the fish. Garnish with the julienned green onion and cilantro leaves.
Cantonese-Style Steamed Whole Fish (Zheng Yu)