Steamed Fish with Soy Sauce

I think fish is quite a tricky ingredient or even a dish to cook. First, one needs to know how to select a good & fresh fish. Then one needs to know methods of cleaning and relevant ingredients to prepare a dish. To be honest, I roughly know how to select a good fish but I'm still not sure how to clean it. But I'm sure the fishmonger will be able to help me on that.

I like to eat fish. OK, correction - I like to eat seafood! So anything that is from the sea, river or farmed fishes from the pond, I like to eat them. Yum yum! We tried cooking steamed fish with frozen cods and haddocks but somehow the texture of the flesh is not nice : ( This time, we went to the market to buy fresh fish, specifically cod fish! 

And the steaming begins!

First, make sure the fish is completely thawed to room temperature. Give it a rinse to remove the ice and if you find the fish is too big, cut into half portion and lay them out flat on a plate. Sprinkle some finely sliced ginger on top of your fish and steam it. There are 2 ways of steaming fish (that I know of) - via the microwave or the conventional water steam method. I did the conventional steaming method and timing is very important for fish. If you steam too long, the flesh might become too 'rubbery' and rough. Hence, I always follow my father's method of steaming fish - small fish, 7 minutes; medium, 9 minutes. To be safe, always check the fish whether it is cooked completely. Once done, we can now prepare the sauce!

I've learnt this recipe from my father... hahahaha! Well, my father is really pro at steaming fish. He can even watch TV while steaming it : ) Anyways, fry some garlic and little bit of ginger in sesame oil (vegetable oil is fine too!). Be generous on the oil as it helps the frying alittle, perhaps add on another tablespoon. Then, pour in soy sauce and fry it. Quickly pour in some wine and remove from heat. Add alittle bit of water to dilute the sauce, otherwise, it can be quite salty. And that's it!

We really enjoyed our steamed fish. You can actually 'taste' the freshness and sweetness from the flesh. Plus the meat texture was soft and melts in your mouth. Mmm~ 

TheLoyalFan says: ' There is nothing better than a steamed fresh fish except maybe a bigger steamed fresh fish : )'