steamed Monk fish
I recorded my initial foray into steaming fish last year. This time I decided to follow things ‘by the book’, well not quite – there is always the inevitable ingredient twist with me. The book in this case was the Significant Eater’s well worn “The Essential Seafood Cookbook”.
I chose monk fish because it was the best option at the fishmonger’s and I’d never eaten it before. It looked fresh and a small enough in size to fit 4 fillets in my largest bamboo steamer. This was a simple meal that met both good health and great flavour requirements. It was served with some steamed potatoes, a mixed salad and a cauliflower salad. It went down a treat.
Steamed fish with ginger and chilli
4 fillets of white fish
5cm piece of ginger root, shredded
2-4 kaffir lime leaves, shredded (the original recipe calls for 2 tabs coriander stalks)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red chilli with a bit of a kick
a splash of fish sauce (optional)
2-3 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal
lemon or lime juice
Line the steamer basket with baking paper (or banana leaves if you are going all out for presentation) so the fish won’t stick.
Mix the ginger, lime leaves, garlic and chilli in a bowl and add a splash of fish sauce.
Arrange the fish to lie flat in the steamer basket, the cover with the herb mix. This can be spread quite thinly as the herbs can be over powering for some with a more delicate palate.
Put enough water into the wok so it won’t boil dry, nor be too high to touch the bottom of the steamer. Place on the heat, then position the basket and cover it.
Steam 8 minutes, then add the spring onions and citrus juice. It will need a further 30 sec to a minute or 2, until the fish begins to flake.
Serve immediately with a wedge of lemon or lime.
Serves 4 with vegetables/salads/rice
getting ready to steam
Strangely this dish was not dissimilar to my original steaming effort, it just goes to show it is worth following your instincts sometimes.
I chose monk fish because it was the best option at the fishmonger’s and I’d never eaten it before. It looked fresh and a small enough in size to fit 4 fillets in my largest bamboo steamer. This was a simple meal that met both good health and great flavour requirements. It was served with some steamed potatoes, a mixed salad and a cauliflower salad. It went down a treat.
Steamed fish with ginger and chilli
4 fillets of white fish
5cm piece of ginger root, shredded
2-4 kaffir lime leaves, shredded (the original recipe calls for 2 tabs coriander stalks)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red chilli with a bit of a kick
a splash of fish sauce (optional)
2-3 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal
lemon or lime juice
Line the steamer basket with baking paper (or banana leaves if you are going all out for presentation) so the fish won’t stick.
Mix the ginger, lime leaves, garlic and chilli in a bowl and add a splash of fish sauce.
Arrange the fish to lie flat in the steamer basket, the cover with the herb mix. This can be spread quite thinly as the herbs can be over powering for some with a more delicate palate.
Put enough water into the wok so it won’t boil dry, nor be too high to touch the bottom of the steamer. Place on the heat, then position the basket and cover it.
Steam 8 minutes, then add the spring onions and citrus juice. It will need a further 30 sec to a minute or 2, until the fish begins to flake.
Serve immediately with a wedge of lemon or lime.
Serves 4 with vegetables/salads/rice
getting ready to steam
Strangely this dish was not dissimilar to my original steaming effort, it just goes to show it is worth following your instincts sometimes.
posted by GS at 11:54 am
2 Comments:
made this last night - chucked in a bit of lemongrass as well. it was delicious. served with silverbeet and beetroot greens from the garden, steamed and dressed with oyster sauce/chinese rice wine/sesame oil. yum!
A little yuzu & ponzu sauce is great mixed with sesame oil, heated and poured over the finished product - yummy.
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