Wild Sea Bass with Ginger, Spring Onion and Soy Sauce

Steamed whole fish with ginger, spring onion and soy sauce (薑蔥豉油皇蒸魚) is a classic Chinese dish. Steamed grouper (清蒸石班) is a popular dish, and often one of the dishes served in Chinese wedding banquet. However, several species of groupers are now at risk of extinction, and most groupers served in restaurants are farmed. In the UK, wild sea bass (野生鱸魚) is an excellent choice for this dish. It is important that you get the freshest fish possible.

Steaming works well for a small fish, but wild sea bass caught from the sea will be too large to fit into a wok, or a bamboo basket for steaming. The fish may be steamed in a parcel of aluminium foil in the oven. But I think poaching will produce the best result. The fish will be soft and tender, infused by the aroma of the poaching liquid.

The cooking time is critical. A perfectly steamed fish has flesh that is just cooked at the bone. In this classic Chinese recipe, the fish is topped with spring onions and ginger, and then doused with hot oil which releases the flavour of the aromatics into the flesh of the fish.

A secret of this dish is the soy sauce. You can buy commercial soy sauce especially prepared for steamed fish, but the home made version described in this recipe is much more fragrant and aromatic.

In traditional Chinese dinner, dishes are shared around the table. This recipe may serve 2-4 people, depending on the size of the fish and what other dishes are also served for the meal.

Turbot, lemon sole, plaice and sea bream are also great choices for this recipe.

Wild Sea Bass with Ginger, Spring Onion and Soy Sauce (薑蔥豉油皇海鱸)

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Serves: 2-4 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour 1 hour

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1-1.2kg line caught wild sea bass
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 2 spring onions, cut into sections
• A few slices of ginger
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 6 spring onions, finely julienned
• 40g ginger, finely julienned
• 60ml groundnut oil

For the soy sauce:

• 1 tbsp groundnut oil
• 2 ginger slices
• 1 spring onion, cut into sections
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 90ml Chinese superior stock or white chicken stock
• 1 tbsp Shaohsing wine
• 12g rock sugar or granulated sugar
• A dash of ground white pepper

Instructions

1. 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.
2. Fill two-third of a fish poacher with water. Add sea salt, a few slices of ginger, the spring onion sections and Shaoxing wine into the water. Bring to the boil. Slip in the fish and make sure that it is fully covered by the poaching liquid.
3. Bring to the boil again. Cover the poacher with the lid and turn off the heat. Let it stand for about 30 minutes. Insert a meat thermometer into the fish if you have one. The internal temperature should reach 55-60°C when it is cooked.
4. Lift the fish on the poacher rack out of the broth and drain. Slide the fish onto a plate.
5. Scatter the fish with finely julienned ginger and spring onion. Pour the prepared soy sauce around the fish.
6. Heat the groundnut oil until hot and smoking. Pour over the fish which should sizzle dramatically.