🐟 Steamed Whole Fish with Ginger and Scallions

Ingredients

• 1 Whole fish (sea bass, snapper or similar), 1½ lb, scaled and cleaned, head and tail on
• 1 piece Fresh ginger, 2-inch piece, half sliced thin and half cut in fine shreds
• 6 Green onions, 2 cut in 3-inch lengths, 4 cut in fine shreds
• ¼ tsp Table salt
• ¼ cup Fresh cilantro, sprigs
• 3 tbsp Low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Water
• 1 tsp Granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp Canola oil

Nutrition

Steps

You’ll need: wok or wide pot with a lid, steaming rack, and a heatproof plate that fits inside with room around it, small saucepan, food thermometer.

1. Rinse the fish inside and out under cold water and pat it dry. Cut 3 diagonal slashes, down to the bone, on each side so it cooks evenly. Rub with the salt.
2. Lay the ginger slices and the 3-inch green onion pieces on the plate and set the fish on top; tuck a few slices inside the belly. Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in the wok under the rack.
3. Set the plate on the rack, cover, and steam over high heat 10 to 14 minutes for a 1½-lb fish (about 8 minutes per inch at the thickest part). It’s done when the flesh at the thickest slash is opaque and flakes easily from the bone, 145°F on a thermometer (FDA). Lift the plate out carefully with a towel; the steam is very hot.
4. Pour off the steaming liquid and discard the cooked onion and ginger slices. Heat the soy sauce, water and sugar until the sugar dissolves and pour it around the fish. Pile the shredded ginger, shredded green onions and cilantro on top.
5. Heat the oil in the small saucepan until it shimmers. Standing back, pour it slowly over the green onions and ginger; it will sizzle and spit a little. Serve right away.
6. At the table, lift the top fillet off in pieces, then pull out the backbone in one piece to reach the bottom fillet, rather than flipping the fish (many families consider flipping it unlucky). Watch for small bones.

🌡 Safe temperaturesFish 145°F. Check the thickest part with a food thermometer (USDA). More on food safety.