Cantonese-Style Steamed Fish Recipe
This Cantonese-Style Steamed Fish recipe features a whole white-fleshed fish or fillets delicately steamed over aromatics like cilantro, ginger, and scallions, then dressed with a savory soy-sherry sauce and sizzling hot oil poured over fresh herbs and chili for an authentic, flavorful Chinese dish. Perfectly moist and tender with vibrant fragrant notes, it’s an elegant yet simple preparation highlighting traditional Chinese steaming techniques.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Steaming
- Cuisine: Cantonese
Ingredients
Scale
Aromatics
- 1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems separated from larger stems
- 1 (1½-inch) knob fresh young ginger (about 1 ounce), scrubbed
- 6 whole scallions, ends trimmed
- 1 small hot fresh red pepper, such as Fresno or Thai bird’s-eye, thinly sliced (optional)
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinese light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
Fish and Cooking
- 1 whole white-fleshed fish, cleaned and gutted, about 1½ to 2½ pounds (or 1 to 1½ pounds lean white fish fillets)
- Salt, to taste
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola
Instructions
- Prepare aromatics: Fill a salad spinner with very cold water, add cilantro leaves and tender stems to rinse. Rinse larger cilantro stems separately and scatter them on a plate large enough to fit the fish. Trim ginger skin and small knobs, scatter trimmings over the cilantro stems. Peel ginger and cut into the thinnest possible slivers, then place in the salad spinner. Split scallions at the green transition, add dark green parts to the plate, and cut whites and light green parts into 2-inch segments, splitting lengthwise and slicing into thin slivers to add to salad spinner.
- Make sauce: In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, and 1 tablespoon water until sugar dissolves. Set aside.
- Prepare steaming setup: Place a steaming rack or a few clean, empty tuna cans (tops and bottoms removed) in a wide, deep lidded pan or wok. Add water to reach just below the top of the rack and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Prepare fish: Rinse whole fish under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. For fish 2 pounds or larger, slash deeply perpendicular to the spine a couple times for even cooking. Lightly salt the fish, stuff some aromatics from the plate into the cavity if whole fish. Arrange fish on cilantro and scallion stems; layer fillets if needed.
- Steam fish: Transfer plate with fish to steamer, cover, and steam until flesh near the thickest part flakes easily with little resistance—about 7 to 10 minutes for flat fish and thin fillets; 9 to 12 minutes for round fish.
- Transfer fish to serving platter: Using a thin spatula or two, carefully lift fish to a serving platter, or serve directly on steaming plate after draining liquid by gently tilting over sink while holding fish down with spatula.
- Add sauce and aromatics: Pour sauce mixture over hot fish. Drain and spin aromatics from salad spinner into a nest, spreading half over fish. Sprinkle sliced chili if using.
- Heat oil and finish dish: Heat neutral oil in a small skillet until shimmering and just starting to smoke. Carefully spoon or pour hot oil over aromatics—expect sputtering and sizzling. Top with remaining fresh aromatics and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use a fresh young ginger knob for the best delicate ginger flavor.
- If using fillets instead of whole fish, adjust steaming time accordingly and skip cavity aromatics and slashing.
- Be careful pouring hot oil over aromatics to prevent splattering burns.
- Serving fish on the steaming plate is traditional but ensure liquid is drained well to avoid sogginess.
- Substitute Shaoxing wine with dry sherry if unavailable.
- Fish should be very fresh for best taste and texture.
Keywords: steamed fish, Cantonese steamed fish, Chinese fish recipe, healthy fish recipe, ginger scallion fish
