Steamed Whole Rockfish

By Stephen Wong

5 people added this to their Recipe Box

This recipe makes 4 servings

Nutritional Info
Per serving: about	-
cal	165165 cal
pro	27 g27g pro
total fat	5 g5g total fat
sat fat	1 g1g sat fat
carb	1 g1g carb
fibre	00 fibre
chol	47 mg47mg chol
sodium	640 mg640mg sodium
% RDI:	-
calcium	44 calcium
iron	44 iron
vit A	44 vit A
vit C	5959 vit C
folate	55 folate

A whole fish is a must at a Chinese New Year banquet. It signifies abundance. Instead of rockfish, a West Coast specialty, try any fish small enough to fit into your wok or steamer, such as snapper, trout or whitefish. For less festive occasions, fish fillets or steaks will do, too. The combination of ginger and sherry is a classic Chinese way to get rid of fishy odours and strong flavours.

Ingredients

1-1/2 1-1/2lb lbwhole rockfish, (with head and tail), cleaned and scaled
2 tsp coarse sea salt 2 2tsp tspcoarse sea salt
4 green onions 4 4green oniongreen onions
2 tbsp dry sherry 2 2tbsp tbspdry sherry
1/4 cup shredded gingerroot 1/4 1/4cup cupshredded gingerroot
2 tbsp chicken stock 2 2tbsp tbspchicken stock
2 tbsp soy sauce 2 2tbsp tbspsoy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil 1 1tbsp tbspsesame oil
Fresh coriander sprig , (optional)Fresh coriander sprigFresh coriander sprigs, (optional)

Preparation

Rub outside and stomach cavity of fish with coarse sea salt ; let stand for 10 minutes. Rinse off salt ; pat dry.

Place steam rack or steamer in wok. Pour in enough water to come 1 inch (2.5 cm) below rack. Cover and bring to boil over medium-high heat.

On a plate, place fish on top of onions; pour sherry evenly over top. Sprinkle with ginger.

Place plate on rack; steam for 8 to 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork. Transfer to serving platter, discarding onions and juices.

Meanwhile, cut remaining onions into matchstick-size pieces. Place in bowl of cold water, set aside.

In small saucepan, heat chicken stock, soy sauce and sesame oil just until boiling.

Sprinkle fish with reserved green onion pieces. Pour boiling stock mixture evenly over top. Garnish with coriander (if using) and serve immediately.

Additional information :

Tip: Common steamers are made of bamboo, steel or aluminum. Bamboo ones with lids are designed to sit in a wok at least 3 inches (8 cm) larger in diameter. Metal ones often come with their own shallow pots for water. If space Is a concern, look for round bamboo or metal racks that fit Into your wok. In a pinch, a small cake rack will do. Or set two wooden chopsticks a few inches apart In your wok, then balance a platter on them. A dome-shaped lid allows steam to circulate. If you don't have a large enough wok, substitute a roasting pan with a rack and a lid.