Last Updated on December 19, 2020 by Simon Fan
Steamed whole fish is an incredibly versatile dish, fitting for either a weeknight meal or a festive dinner for the holidays.
While you can take a minimalist approach by steaming your fish with ginger and scallions and seasoning it with soy sauce and wine, there are ways to elevate the dish to a new level, such as Shanghai-style steamed fish with ham, bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms.
The dish I’m sharing with you here, steamed fish with fermented black beans, serves as another example.
In this rendition, fermented black beans (douchi 豆豉), an iconic Chinese ingredient with a distinctive aroma and rich umami taste, give the fish a complex flavor—and an attractive look too.
You don’t have to use a whole fish to make the dish. Fish fillets or fish steaks work well too.
Steamed fish with fermented black beans
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 whole mild-flavored white fish (such as striped bass or branzino), about 1⅕ lb (540 g), scaled and gutted
1 garlic, minced
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fermented black beans (or substitute black bean sauce)
2 scallions
1-inch (2.5 cm) piece of ginger, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Soy sauce
Freshly ground white pepper
Directions
- Make several parallel slashes crosswise on each side of the fish.
- Mince 1 tablespoon of the fermented black beans and leave the remaining whole (skip this step if using black bean sauce). Cut 1 scallion into 1-inch (2.5 cm) lengths. Thinly slice the remaining scallion and reserve for garnish.
- In a small bowl, mix the garlic, minced black beans, scallion pieces, ginger, and wine. Place the fish on a heatproof plate that will fit into your steamer (cut the fish in half crosswise if it’s too long to fit into your steamer). Spread the mixture all over the fish, including its cavity. Let marinate for 20 minutes.
- Scatter the whole black beans over the fish. Steam the fish over high heat until just cooked through, about 8 minutes. Transfer the fish and juices collected during steaming onto a serving plate (if the fish is cut in half, reassemble the two pieces in a fish shape). Discard the scallion pieces and ginger. Scatter the reserved sliced scallion over the fish.
- In a small saucepan, heat the oil until it’s shimmering. Pour it over the scallion and fish. Adjust the seasoning with soy sauce as needed and sprinkle on the pepper. Serve right away.
