Cantonese Steamed Fish with Ginger and Shallots (清蒸鱼)

5 from 7 votes

Cantonese Steamed Fish is cooked to silky perfection then drizzled in a light soy sauce for a healthy dish perfect for every occasion!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian, Cantonese, Chinese, Vietnamese

Servings:

Calories: 93kcal

To make sure the plated dish is completely clear of any scales, run a cleaver over the skin and scrape off any last scales.
Pro Tip: Do this under a tap of running cold water to wash the scales away.
Optional: Score the fish with two lines across its body on both sides.
Use scissors to cut off the fins and to trim the tail.
Optional: Remove the gills.

Set up your steamer and bring it to a boil, then 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 or until cooked. To test it, poke a chopstick through. It should be clean when pulled out.
Pour the excess liquid out of the dish after it has been cooked.
Top the cooked seafood with spring onions and bring the oil to smoking point in a small saucepan. Pour it over the aromatics to sizzle.
Pro Tip: You should see a light layer or smoke coming up from the oil once it reaches smoking point.
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.
Pour the sauce AROUND the fish to prevent it from getting soggy.

Use a fork and spoon to break off the head and tail from the body.
Keep the utensils close together and cut along the length of the fish along the center from one end to the other.
Push the meat aside. The top half can be pushed up and the bottom half to the bottom.
Use the spoon to scoop up the bone. Gently pull it away from the body and place the whole bone on an empty part of the plate.
Put the meat back onto the body where it was before, this time just without the long bone inside.
Spoon some sauce over the fish to season.
Serve immediately as is!

Cook it just before eating. Cantonese Steamed Fish is a dish that should be eaten fresh out of the steamer. Plan to make it just before serving to ensure a silky hot bite.
Use fresh ingredients. This is a given for most recipes, but it's particularly important for this one because you'll end up with juicier flesh.
Keep the sauce separate until the very end. We use techniques like pouring it around the silver perch or spooning the sauce on after deboning so you can really taste the fish's freshness.
Use a large enough dish and steamer to fit the fish. The last thing you want is for your seafood to not fit when steaming!
The amount of aromatics you use for this Cantonese Steamed Fish recipe is entirely up to personal preference. Just keep in mind that the purpose of ginger is to remove the fishy smell during the steaming process, so it's ideal to have at least some on it.
The ratio of the sauce will depend on what you prefer. If you like it saltier, use more light soy sauce or reduce the amount of sugar or water. Likewise, if you like it sweeter, add more sugar.