How to steam fish

Video: SUPER EASY Basic Chinese Steamed Fish Recipe 中式蒸鱼 Easiest Way to Cook Fish • How to Steam Fish

Content

Method 2 of 3: In a steam basket
Method 3 of 3: Oven or Grill
Tips
Warnings
What do you need
Additional articles

1 Prepare the fish. You can take fillets of any meaty fish (salmon, halibut, perch). You can also take a whole fish after cleaning it. Place the fish in a lidded dish lightly oiled with vegetable oil.

If you have several fillet slices, feel free to stack them on top of each other.

2 Prepare a side dish that you will serve with the fish, but this is optional. You can prepare a side dish while your fish is cooking in the microwave. Cook rice in a slow cooker. Try basmati or jasmine. Or boil water to make couscous. Salt the water in which you will cook the couscous, and add a little butter or vegetable oil to it.

3 Season the fish with spices. This is where your imagination begins. What flavor do you prefer? You can use any of the options below to season your fish, or create your own seasoning mix. You don't need to rub every inch of fish with seasoning, just sprinkle it with spices.

A little coconut milk, cloves, minced garlic clove, dried or fresh basil, cilantro, chopped green onions, lemon juice.
Lemon or lime juice, chopped onions and garlic, salt and pepper.
A pinch of ground cumin, minced garlic clove, minced sweet onions, cilantro, salt and pepper.
A little soy sauce, a little sesame oil, grated ginger, a few drops of rice wine, sesame seeds.

4 Cook fish in the microwave. Cover the dish with a lid and put it in the microwave for 4-5 minutes, the exact time depends on the thickness of the fillet.

Test the fish with a fork. Gently hook the fillets with a fork to check how soft the meat is and if it comes off easily. If the meat is white or slightly dull and breaks easily, then the fish is ready.

5 Serve the dish. Add a side dish to the fish, such as rice, couscous, salad, or whatever you like best. Bon Appetit!

Method 2 of 3: In a steam basket

1 Prepare a steam basket. Pour water into an 8-10 cm pot or wok. Make sure the steam basket fits well in the pan or saucepan, with enough space between the surface of the water and the basket. Turn on the stove and bring the water to a boil.
2 Make seasonings, but you don't have to. This is where your imagination begins. What flavor do you prefer? You can use any of the options below to season your fish, or create your own seasoning mix.You don't need to rub every inch of fish with seasoning, just sprinkle it with spices.
- A little coconut milk, cloves, minced garlic clove, dried or fresh basil, cilantro, chopped green onions, lemon juice.
- Lemon or lime juice, chopped onions and garlic, salt and pepper.
- A pinch of ground cumin, minced garlic clove, minced sweet onions, cilantro, salt and pepper.
- A little soy sauce, a little sesame oil, grated ginger, a few drops of rice wine, sesame seeds.
- If you are cooking peeled, whole fish, make diagonal cuts on the sides of the fish to add salt, pepper, and seasonings.
3 Line the steamed basket with the cabbage leaves. If you are filleting, place one large cabbage leaf on each fillet and place the fillets skin side down. If you are cooking whole fish. Line the bottom of the steam basket with cabbage leaves.
- Apply a third of the sauce to the fish.
4 Steam the fish. Place the steamed fish basket in a wok or pot of boiling water. Close the cover. The cooking time of the fish will depend on its thickness; whole fish will take longer to cook. Fillets 2.5 cm thick will cook in about 10 minutes.
- Do not overcook the fish so that it does not turn into a puree.
- Check the fish after 10 minutes, then check every minute until it is completely cooked.
- The fish is ready when its meat falls apart easily and when it ceases to be transparent.
- After you remove the fish from the heat, it will continue to cook.
5 Serve. If you've cooked a fillet, you can serve it on a kale pad. If you've cooked the whole fish, remove it from the steam basket, place it on a serving platter, or place the basket directly on the platter, and serve. Pour the sauce over the fish, place the rest of the sauce on the table.

Method 3 of 3: Oven or Grill

1 Preheat oven or grill. Preheat the oven to 177 ° C, let the grill warm up for 10-15 minutes. Place the wire rack in the middle of the oven. If you are grilling, let it warm up well, clean the grill grate with a brush. Use the middle or lower grill rack, reduce heat to medium.
2 Mix seasonings. In a small bowl, combine any condiments and spices you like. This is where your imagination begins. What flavor do you prefer? You can use any of the options below to season your fish, or create your own seasoning mix. You don't need to rub every inch of fish with seasoning, just sprinkle it with spices.
- A little coconut milk, cloves, minced garlic clove, dried or fresh basil, cilantro, chopped green onions, lemon juice.
- Lemon or lime juice, chopped onions and garlic, salt and pepper.
- A pinch of ground cumin, minced garlic clove, minced sweet onions, cilantro, salt and pepper.
- A little soy sauce, a little sesame oil, grated ginger, a few drops of rice wine, sesame seeds.
3 Line the surface where you will cook the fish with foil. If you are cooking in the oven, line the baking sheet with foil, there should be enough foil so that you can wrap the fish freely. Also place enough foil on the grill to wrap the fish in it.
- You can wrap the fish in banana leaves or tee leaves.
4 Place fish on a baking sheet or grill rack lined with foil. Place the fish in the center of the foil sheet. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the fish. Add lemon or lime slices if desired.
5 Wrap the fish. Without pulling tight, wrap the fish on all sides, forming a tightly closed envelope. Bake the fish in the oven or on the grill; if you are filleting, grill it for 15 minutes; it will take 25 minutes to cook a whole fish. Check the fish for readiness. Cook fish a little longer if necessary.
- The fish is ready when its meat falls apart easily and when it ceases to be transparent.
- After the estimated cooking time of the fish has finished, check it every 2 minutes until it is completely cooked.
- If you are grilling fish, be sure to close the lid tightly when baking.
6 Serve the fish. Be careful when opening fish envelopes. Hot steam from the envelope will escape from the outside when you open it, and you may burn yourself. Open the envelope either with metal tongs or with two forks. Using a metal spatula, carefully transfer the fish to a dish and sprinkle with the remaining seasonings. Serve the dish immediately.

Tips

Add pepper and cilantro leaves to the fish to enrich the flavor of the fish. Experiment with herbs and spices.
Steam bass, pike perch, tilapia, sea bass, and other types of fish that are fine in texture. Salmon and pike are not recommended for this cooking method.
If you are using a traditional steamer, place a handful of thuja shavings on the bottom. This will give a very mild yet delicious woody flavor to steamed fish and vegetables.
Eat the dish warm.
Very fresh fish is recommended. If you are using frozen fish, defrost it completely before cooking.

Warnings

Virtually all fish and edible shellfish and crustaceans contain traces of mercury. Mercury is a poisonous metal that is hazardous to health. Large amounts of mercury are especially harmful to the fetus and young children. The risk of mercury poisoning from fish and shellfish depends on the amount of seafood eaten and the amount of mercury in that fish and shellfish. The FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) and the EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) recommend that women who may be pregnant, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and young children should not eat certain types of fish. fish and shellfish that are low in mercury.