Cantonese Steamed Sea Bass
This is the dish that separates a confident Cantonese kitchen from a timid one. The fish is barely cooked, the soy is balanced rather than salty, and the scallions go in raw to be scalded at the table by smoking oil. Buy the freshest fish you can and let it stay the quiet center of the plate.
Ingredients
- 1 whole sea bass, about 700g, scaled and gutted
- 1 thumb of ginger, half julienned, half sliced
- 4 scallions, whites smashed and greens julienned
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons hot water
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- A small handful of cilantro sprigs
- Sea salt, to season the fish
Method
- Score the fish twice on each side. Pat dry and season lightly with salt inside and out. Lay the smashed scallion whites and sliced ginger on a heatproof plate and rest the fish on top.
- Steam over rapidly boiling water for 9 to 11 minutes, until the flesh at the thickest point pulls cleanly from the bone.
- Meanwhile, stir the soy sauce, sugar, and hot water until the sugar dissolves.
- Carefully pour off the watery liquid that has collected on the plate and discard the steamed aromatics.
- Pile the julienned ginger, scallion greens, and cilantro over the fish. Pour the soy mixture around, not over, the fish.
- Heat the oil until it just begins to smoke, then pour it over the herbs so they sizzle. Serve at once with steamed rice.