Gingery Light Soy Sauce Steamed Fish

According to Chinese calendar, for 2021, the new year will fall on February 12, 2021. Are you ready for the celebration? The year of 2021 will be symbolized by an ox. In fact, there are 12 animals representing each year of the Chinese calendar and it will rotate every 12 years. Anyhow, are you glad that the year of Rat (2020) is over? Hoping and wishing all of you a prosperous year that’s blessed with great health in 2021. 😊

I’m sharing with you today with this gingery light soy sauce steamed fish. You will find, that in Chinese household, there will always be some sort of fish dish during the Chinese new year’s celebration. Why? It’s because fish represents prosperity or abundance. To further elaborate, there is a phrase 年年有余 (nian nian you yu), which means “may every year brings you prosperity or abundance” and fish in Chinese 魚 or 鱼 (yu) which sounds similar to prosperity in Chinese, (余) “yu”. Do you see the connection?

This steamed fish that is covered with scallion, light soy sauce and ginger has a very delicate, light yet savory taste. It is very simple dish to make, yet, very elegant looking. When making this dish, it’s preferable to use some fort of white fish. You can also use fillet white fish, so you do not have to deal with many bones.

Ah, as you noticed, I got my Ms. PiggyOut clay figurine from lizzie.jungle. I love it as the figurine matches with my logo, I love it! Many thanks to lizzie.jungle. Check out her other creations – lizzie.jungle is a polymer clay artist that make figurines, wine stoppers, pin cushions and many more. If you request, she might be able to make a customized clay figurine for you.

Tools I used:

• Nonstick wok – Easy to clean, heat-up evenly, and, the best part, it is non-stick. I usually use this big wok for making fried rice, pad see ew, pad thai, steaming fish, or any stir-frying in general.
• Small saucepan – Great tool to have for making small batch of sauce, chili sauce, or just boiling some eggs. Easy to clean, non-stick and not too heavy.

Tip: To check if the fish is cooked, use a fork/chopstick and pierce it to the thickest part of the fish. If there’s nothing sticking to it and the fish flesh is flaky, it should be thoroughly cooked. Also, if you don’t have a large steamer, like me, you can use a big wok, place a small upside-down bowl and a plate on top of it. Fill the wok with water, up to the height of the bowl, do not cover the plate with water (as you can see in the picture).

Ingredient:

• 1 whole striped bass (you can use any white fish) – cleaned
• 2 cloves garlic – minced
• ½ inch (2.5 cm) ginger – julienned
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• A pinch of sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) water
• Salt and pepper
• 1 stalk green onion – chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Direction:

• Rub a pinch of salt and pepper onto the inside and outside of the cleaned fish, according to your preference. Note: you do not need to use a lot, because there will be a hint of saltiness from the sauce.
• Then, place the fish onto your steamer. Steam the fish for about 15-20 minutes or more, depending on how big your fish is. To check if the fish is cooked: use a fork/chopstick and pierce it to the thickest part of the fish. If there’s nothing sticking to it and the fish flesh is flaky, it should be done.
• While the fish is steaming, on a separate pan, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil under low-heat. Once heated, add garlic and ginger and cook until they are fragrant.
• Then, add light soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, a pinch of salt, a dash of pepper, and water. Cook the sauce until it is boiled.
• To serve, place the fish onto a serving plate, pour the sauce over the fish and garnish it with chopped green onion.
• Enjoy it with a serving of fluffy steamed rice and other dishes. Yum~