Steamed Fish with Soy Sauce

This recipe is a classic and easy way to prepare a delicious and healthy fish dish. You can adjust the recipe based on your preference for the type of fish and the flavors in the sauce.

Ingredients:

 For the Fish:

     1 whole white fish (1-2 lbs), such as tilapia, cod, or sea bass (cleaned and scaled)

     2-3 stalks green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces

     4-6 slices ginger, thinly sliced

     1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)

 For the Soy Sauce Sauce:

     4 tablespoons light soy sauce

     2 tablespoons water

     1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)

     1-2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)

     1 teaspoon sesame oil

     1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

     2 tablespoons vegetable oil

     Chopped scallions (for garnish)

Production Steps:

1. Prepare the Fish:

     Thoroughly rinse the fish under cold water. Pat it dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.

     Make a few shallow diagonal cuts across both sides of the fish to help it cook evenly.

     Place the fish on a heat-resistant plate. Stuff the cavity with half of the green onion pieces and ginger slices. Drizzle the Shaoxing wine (or sherry) over the fish.

2. Prepare the Soy Sauce Sauce:

     In a small bowl, whisk together the light soy sauce, water, Shaoxing wine (or sherry), sugar, sesame oil, and white pepper. Set aside.

3. Steam the Fish:

     Fill a wok or steamer pot with enough water to reach just below the steamer basket. Bring the water to a boil.

     Place the plate with the fish in the steamer basket. Cover the pot and steam for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. (For thicker fish, steam for a few minutes longer.)

     The fish is cooked through when it flakes easily with a fork.

4. Prepare the Hot Oil:

     While the fish is steaming, heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat the oil until it shimmers and begins to smoke slightly.

5. Assemble and Serve:

     Carefully remove the plate with the fish from the steamer. Discard the steaming liquid and ginger slices from the cavity.

     Pour out any excess liquid that has accumulated on the plate with the fish.

     Pour the prepared soy sauce sauce over the steamed fish.

     Heat the oil until very hot again, then carefully pour the hot oil over the chopped scallions placed on top of the fish. This will sizzle and release the scallion aroma.

     Garnish with additional chopped scallions and serve immediately with steamed rice.

Tips:

 You can substitute other aromatics for the ginger, such as lemongrass or garlic.

 If you don’t have Shaoxing wine, you can use dry sherry or another rice wine.

 Adjust the amount of sugar in the sauce to your taste preference.

 Be careful when pouring the hot oil over the scallions, as it can splatter.