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Steamed halibut with Tianjin preserved vegetable (冬菜蒸比目魚) is a special treat. Halibut is a large, flat white fish which is most commonly caught in deep water. It has delicious white flesh with a firm, meaty texture.
Tianjin preserved vegetable (dong cai or tung choi, 冬菜) is a type of preserved cabbage from Tianjin in Northern China. The cabbage is chopped, and pickled with salt and sometimes garlic. It is commonly used to enhance the flavour of steamed fish or meat in traditional Chinese cooking.
Ingredients
- 500g halibut steak
- 10g ginger, very finely julienned
- 1 spring onion, finely diced
- 2 tbsp groundnut oil
For the marinade:
- 1 tsp ginger puree
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
For the soy sauce:
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil
- 2 ginger slices
- 1 spring onion, cut into segments
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 60ml Chinese supreme stock or white chicken stock
- 2 tsp Shaoxing wine
- 2 tsp sugar
- A dash of ground white pepper
For the preserved vegetable:
- 50g Tianjin preserved vegetable
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- A pinch of white pepper
- 2 tsp Shaoxing wine
Instructions
- Marinate the fish with the ingredients for about 30 minutes.
- For the soy sauce, heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Stir fry the ginger and spring onion until slightly browned. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for a minute. Remove the saucepan from heat. Leave to infuse for 15 minutes. Strain the sauce and set aside. Adjust the seasoning with salt.
- For the preserved vegetables, soak them in water for 30 minutes. Wash thoroughly to remove the grit and the extra salt. Squeeze until dry. Mix with sugar, white pepper and Shaoxing pepper.
- Place the fish on a dish and spread the preserved vegetables on top. Steam the fish in a wok, bamboo steaming basket or a pan. Cover and cook over simmering water for 5-6 minutes (the cooking time will depend on thickness of the fish steak).
- Scatter the fish with the finely julienned ginger and spring onion. Spoon the prepared soy sauce around the fish. Heat the groundnut oil until hot and smoking, and pour over the fish which should sizzle dramatically.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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