Chef notes
In Chinese, the word "fish" is pronounced "yu," which is phonetically similar to the Chinese word "surplus." We would enjoy this dish growing up with our families, especially during Lunar New Year, as it symbolized us wishing our loved ones all the abundance, wealth, prosperity and good wishes for the new year.
Technique tip: A quick tip is to assemble the dish and pop it in the microwave for 3 minutes.
Swap option: A wonderful vegetarian option is to substitute the fish for a soft silken tofu.
Ingredients
- 1 (1½-pound) fish like sea bass, striped bass or dorade
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 1 (2-inch) knob ginger, peeled and sliced into thin strips, divided
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 scallion, cut into 2-inch lengths and then cut into thin threads
- soy sauce, to taste
Preparation
1.Clean the fish properly and pat dry.
2.Lay the fish on a plate and drizzle rice wine on top of the fish. Top the fish with half of the cut ginger strips.
3.Heat up a pot with enough water for steaming. Wait for the water to boil. As soon as it boils, place your fish inside the pot, propped up with a small, inverted bowl or steaming rack. Cover your pot tightly and set your timer for 8 minutes.
4.As soon as the fish is done steaming, take it out of the pot. Discard the fish water and ginger strips. Lay the remaining ginger strips on top of the fish.
5.Heat oil in a pan; when heated, drizzle it over the fish.
6.Garnish with scallions and soy sauce. Serve with side of white rice.
