Chinese Steamed Fish with Ginger and Shallots is a beautifully simple and healthy recipe that’s featured in many banquets. The fish is steamed to silky perfection then drizzled in a light sweet soy sauce for a nutritious way to enjoy your meal!
Chinese Steamed Fish with Ginger and Shallots Recipe
If you think steamed fish is nothing but a healthy and simple weeknight dinner, then you haven’t tried our Chinese Steamed Fish with Ginger and Shallots.
This recipe doesn’t just promise juicy succulent fish complemented by a light soy flavoured sauce.
You’ll feel the ginger and shallots sizzling as soon as you pour smoking hot oil over the fish. Then you only have to wait for the incredible aromas to fill your house…
It’s indescribable.
I used to believe that something THIS good could only be found at restaurants with highly skilled chefs. Not anymore!
Trust me, once you try this recipe and realise just how easy it is to bring something so delicious to the family table, there’s no turning back.
My only suggestion is to try and make this dish as soon as you can!
What Kind of Fish is Good For Steaming?
Our Chinese Steamed Fish with Ginger and Shallots recipe will work well with any fish, including fish fillets, but we chose to use silver perch.
You want a fish with a generous amount of fat to ensure that the flesh stays moist and tender throughout the cooking process. This also means that you’ll have a tasty palette to absorb the sauce.
Of course, you can always opt for leaner fish like cod, flounder and talipia if that’s what you prefer.
How do you pick fresh fish from the market?
When cooking whole fish, our family likes to choose the ones from the tank at the fish monger. The steaming process is relatively quick, so you’d want only the freshest ingredients.
But if you don’t want to choose live fish, here are the ways to hand-pick fresh fish from the market:
- Look for clear eyes. Make sure the fish’s eyes are clear rather than cloudy. You need to be able to see that the pupils are dark because anything else could signify an old fish.
- Lift the gills. One peek into the gill will indicate whether the fish is fresh or not. You want to see bright red inside of the gill. If it’s brown or black, move along to the next one.
- Feel the fins. Dry or brittle fins and tail indicate an old fish. It’s best if both are still soft and malleable.
- Run your fingers over the scales. If the fish is fresh, the scales will be tight against its body. You’ll find that scales begin to fall off with older fish.
- Give it a sniff. This is an absolute last resort because, well, who wants to go around sniffing fish? But if you want to make sure your fish has no foul odours, then this is a step you cannot miss. The last thing you want is to buy a fish that’s beginning to rot!
How do you prepare the fish for cooking?
Buying any fish from the fish monger is great because they will happily descale and clean out the fish for you upon your request. We always make sure to ask them to do this for us, halving the workload at home!
To make sure the fish is completely clear of any scales, run a cleaver over the skin and scrape off any last scales. Do this under a tap of running cold water to wash the scales away.
Use scissors to cut off the fins and to trim the tail then cut off the gills.
Score the fish with two lines across its body on both sides.
Your fish is now prepared and ready for cooking!
What you'll need to make this Chinese Steamed Fish with Ginger and Shallots recipe
- 1 whole fish (cleaned, gutted and descaled)
- 5 cm x 2 cm x 2 cm (2″ x 1″ x 1″) ginger cut into strips
- 1 sprig shallots (a.k.a. spring onions), sliced diagonally
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce (affiliate link)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp water
- 6 tbsp cooking oil
How to make Chinese Steamed Fish with Ginger and Shallots
Set up your steamer and bring it to a boil.
Coat the fish’s top and insides with ginger. This will reduce any fishy smells.
Place the fish in the steamer and steam for 15 minutes. To test it, poke a chopstick through. It should be clean when pulled out.
Meanwhile, combine the light soy sauce, sugar and water in a small saucepan with 1 tbsp cooking oil. Bring to a boil then turn off the heat and set aside.
Layer the steamed fish with shallots.
Pour the sauce AROUND the fish to prevent it from getting soggy.
Heat up the remaining oil until smoking and pour it over the shallots and ginger. Listen to it sizzle.
Serve immediately!
Love fish? Find more recipes here
Chinese Steamed Fish with Ginger and Shallots
Ingredients
- 1 whole fish (cleaned, gutted and descaled)
- 5 cm x 2 cm x 2 cm (2" x 1" x 1") ginger, cut into strips
- 1 sprig shallots (a.k.a spring onions), sliced diagonally
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce (affiliate link)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp water
- 6 tbsp cooking oil
Instructions
- Set up your steamer and bring it to a boil.
- Coat the fish’s top and insides with ginger.
- Place the fish in the steamer and steam for 15 minutes. To test it, poke a chopstick through. It should be clean when pulled out.
- Meanwhile, combine the light soy sauce, sugar and water in a small saucepan with 1 tbsp cooking oil. Bring to a boil then turn off the heat and set aside.
- Layer the steamed fish with shallots.
- Pour the sauce AROUND the fish to prevent it from getting soggy.
- Heat up the remaining oil until smoking and pour it over the shallots and ginger. Listen to it sizzle.
- Serve immediately!
Love this recipe! It turned out so flavorful and delicious and was way easier than I thought it would be! Will definitely make again!
That’s so great to hear! Thanks, Kim!
I love some steamed fish – so healthy and delicious! I love the sound of the ginger and shallots to add some extra tasty flavour.
Ginger and shallots definitely makes a huge difference!
Love this recipe! Such great flavors and I especially am grateful that you included pictures showing how to prepare the fish before cooking – that’s a hard one for me otherwise, but now I know!
I’m glad you liked the instructions on how to prepare the fisb! It was always confusing for me until learnt the steps 🙂
I love ordering a whole fish whenever we are a Chinese restaurant! The flavors in this are out of this world and I cannot wait to bring this restaurant-favorite to my own kitchen!
It’s surprisingly easy to make at home! Enjoy!
This is a beautiful presentation and a great way to eat fish.
Thanks, Erika!