Cantonese Style Steamed Haddock Recipes

CANTONESE STEAMED FISH

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients.
• Soak dried mushrooms. Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl. Pour over boiling water to cover and soak 20 minutes until soft. Meanwhile, you can prepare other ingredients. Once hydrated, strain the liquid into another bowl, squeezing any excess liquid from the mushrooms (this is Shiitake Dashi, and you can use this umami-rich broth in other cooking). Cut off the stems (discard them) and slice the mushrooms.
• Slice the tomato, cut green onions into matchsticks, and peel ginger and cut into fine matchsticks.
• Rinse the fish inside and out under running cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Using a sharp knife, make three diagonal slits on both sides of the fish.
• Arrange the tomato on the base of a heatproof platter that will fit inside a wok. Lay the fish on top.
• Mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and rice wine in a small bowl and season with pepper.
• Pour the sauce over the fish and sprinkle over the mushrooms and ginger. Cover with saran wrap and leave to marinate in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

CHINESE STEAMED WHOLE FISH

Steps:

• Remove any scales from your fish using a serrated steak knife. The areas to look for are the belly and the edges of the fish including the top, near the dorsal fins, and the head. There is nothing worse than having to pick out scales while you're having dinner.
• Cut off any fins with kitchen shears. They are pretty tough, so be careful with this step. Leave the tail and head in tact for presentation.
• Look at the cavity, and you should see the backbone. You may also see a membrane that you should pierce and cut, revealing a blood line near the bone. Run your finger or a spoon across it to clean it thoroughly.
• Check the head and gills. You should not see any gills left, and if there are, remove them with the kitchen shears and rinse the area clean. Older Chinese folks who like dining on the fish head will appreciate this step.
• Give the fish a final rinse, shake off the excess water (no need to pat it dry) and transfer to a heat-proof plate for steaming. No salt, seasoning, or wine should be used on the fish before steaming. Repeat. Nothing on the fresh fish before steaming!
• For steaming, I used an elongated heat-proof plate. To accommodate that, I needed to MacGyver a steaming apparatus that would fit said plate. It's simple enough. I used a wok and metal steam rack. If you need more height to keep the plate above the water in the wok, set a rack on top of a metal can with both ends removed. It's a handy and cheap addition to your kitchen arsenal!
• Steam for 9 minutes and turn off the heat. Use a butter knife to peek at the meat and confirm the fish is cooked through. The meat should be opaque down to the bone, but the bone should be slightly translucent and not fully cooked (remember, you will not be eating the bone. Trust me on this one!).
• Next, carefully pour off all of the liquid accumulated on the plate from steaming and spread half of the ginger, the green portions of the scallion, and the cilantro over the fish.
• Mix the water, salt, sugar, light soy sauce or seasoned soy sauce, and fresh ground white pepper in a small bowl or measuring cup. Heat 2 tablespoons oil and the other half of the ginger in a saucepan until the ginger begins to sizzle and add in the sauce mixture. Heat the mixture until simmering.
• Once simmering, add the rest of the oil and white portions of the scallion and stir until the liquid begins to simmer and sizzle once again. Spoon the entire mixture evenly over the fish and serve hot!

CANTONESE STYLE STEAMED HADDOCK

Steps:

• Place the ginger in some water in a rice steamer. Place the haddock in the top part of the steamer. Steam the fish for 10 minutes or until the fish is flaky and done.
• Mix the soy sauce, water, and sugar together. Set aside. Place oil in a skillet. Cook the white parts of the scallions until wilted. Add the soy sauce mixture and cook 2 minutes.
• Remove the fish from the steamer. Top with the green parts of the scallion and the cilantro. Drizzle the soy sauce mixture over the fish and serve immediately

CANTONESE STEAMED FISH

Steps:

• Cut the scallions into 2-inch lengths, and cut the pieces in half lengthwise. Julienne them thinly. Thinly slice about 15g of ginger, and julienne them. Give the cilantro a rough chop. Set the aromatics aside.
• Combine the light soy sauce, salt, sugar and hot water in a small bowl and mix until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Set aside.
• Prepare your steaming set-up, and fill with 1-2 inches of water. Bring to a boil.
• Rinse your fish fillet, and carefully lay it on an oblong heat-proof plate that will fit into your wok or steaming setup. Carefully place it in the steamer, and adjust the heat to medium. The water should be at a slow boil that generates a good amount of steam, but not so high that the water evaporates too quickly.
• Cover and steam for 7-10 minutes depending upon the size and thickness of your fish fillet. If you have extremely small, thin fillets (half an inch), cook for 4-5 minutes. Check for doneness using a butter knife. If it falls easily through the thickest part of the fillet to the bottom of the plate, the fish is done.
• Turn off the heat, and carefully drain any liquid on the plate. Spread about ⅓ of the scallions, ginger, and cilantro on the steamed fish (alternatively, you can wait to do this AFTER adding the sauce).
• To make the sauce, heat a wok or small saucepan to medium high heat, and add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the remaining ⅔ of the ginger, and fry for 1 minute. Add the white parts of the scallions and cook for 30 seconds.Then add rest of the scallions and cilantro. The mixture should be sizzling.
• Add the soy sauce mixture. Bring the mixture to a bubble, and cook until the scallions and cilantro are just wilted, about 30 seconds.
• Pour this mixture over the fish. If you prefer to add the raw aromatics after adding the sauce, you can do so now, and heat an additional 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to pour over the raw aromatics. Serve immediately!

CANTONESE STYLE STEAMED FISH

Steps:

• Place the fish in a large bowl.
• Add the rice wine, soy sauce, chopped ginger and sesame oil, and toss lightly to coat.
• Cover with clingfilm and leave to marinade in the fridge for 10 minutes.
• Arrange the fish on a heatproof plate, with the marinade, and place in a steamer. Steam over simmering water in a covered wok for 5-8 minutes, or until the fish flakes when the skin is pressed firmly or the dorsal fin pulls out easily.
• Remove the fish from the steamer and place in a heatproof platter.
• Heat a wok over high heat, add the oil and heat until smoking.
• Sprinkle the steamed fish with the spring onion, shredded ginger and pepper, and slowly pour the hot oil over the fish.
• This will cause the skin to crisp, and cook the garnish.

HADDOCK STEAMED WITH VEGGIES

Steps:

• Bring water in a steamer to a boil, lower heat to a simmer. Layer ingredients in the steamer; cabbage, break the slice up a little, the slice of onion, broken into rings; sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cheese over evenly, add the slice of tomato. Season the fish with salt and pepper and place the fish fillets evenly over the tomato and top with the other tablespoon of cheese.
• Steam for approximately 10 minutes or until the cabbage is tender crisp and the fish is flaky. Try to retain the layers to remove to plate.