INGREDIENTS
- Four 5 ounce Fillets of Halibut (or you can use another flaky white fish filet or a whole fish – sea bass, flounder, cod, grouper all work well)
- 10 dried or Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms, thinly sliced (if using dried Shiitake, reconstitute in water for a few hours before slicing)
- 5 TBSP ginger, cut into thin matchsticks
- 5 stalks of scallions, cut into 2 inch parts, then sliced lengthwise into thin “ribbons” (you can also just thinly slice them into rounds if easier for you, but the ribbons look prettier). Separate the green and white parts.
- 5 TBSP light soy sauce
- Salt to taste
- 1 TBSP sesame oil
- 1 TSP sugar
- 6 TBSP EVOO
- 1 TBSP Chinese black bean and garlic sauce (optional, Lee Kum Kee makes a great one)
- 3 red chili peppers, dried or fresh, thinly sliced or about 1 TSP red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 small bunch cilantro (optional)
DIRECTIONS
- Combine and mix soy sauce, sugar, and black bean sauce in a bowl. Set aside.
- Place a steaming rack into a deep sauce pan.
- Fill water up to level of top of steaming rack. Bring water to a light boil.
- Place fresh or fully defrosted filets of fish in a deep dish. Drizzle sesame oil and salt to taste, over the fish.
- Place the dish of raw seasoned fish onto the steaming rack. Cover pan with lid (Fish should not touch the lid, so ensure that your pan is deep enough for this steaming part).
- Turn heat to medium low, and steam until flesh of fish is just cooked and tender, or flakes apart when tested with a fork/chopsticks. Depending on the thickness of your fish, this should take about 15 minutes.
- Carefully move the steamed fish (either remove the whole dish, or carefully remove the cooked fish from the plate with a flat spoon or spatula), and plate onto your final serving dish.
- In another small pan, toast the EVOO over medium heat for about 2 minutes (we want to toast, but be careful not to burn the oil).
- Drop the ginger and white parts of scallion into the oil and lightly fry for about 1 minute. Add the optional chilis/red pepper flakes if you like it spicy.
- Drizzle the soy sauce mixture over the steamed/cooked fish.
- Finally, pour the toasted oil with the fried ginger and scallions over the whole dish.
- Garnish with the green parts of scallions and some roughly torn pieces of cilantro.
Enjoy with white or brown rice, or even spooned over any noodle of your choice.
Recipe and Photo Sunday Dinner Diary