The hubby and I are trying to eat more fish. The problem is, we don’t know of many ways to prepare and cook it. And I always fear that I would over or undercook it. Most of the time, when we eat fish, we buy the pre-made stuff from the grocery store that only needs to be fried up or put in the oven. Other than that, the only fish dishes I know how to make is saengseonjeon (Korean pan-fried fish) and steamed fish with tofu and preserved radish. I got the steamed fish recipe from one of those free newspapers that is handed out to morning transit commuters. Unfortunately, I seemed to have misplaced this recipe so I had to make it from memory the other night. Luckily, it’s a pretty easy recipe to recreate.
What you will need:
fish (halibut or cod steak or fillet)
1 pack of medium firm tofu, cubed
1/2 can of preserved radish
ginger, julienned
2 green onions, 1 diced and the other julienned
garlic, minced
1/8 cup light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
salt and pepper
What you have to do:
In a small bowl, mix sugar with soy sauce.
Prepare tofu, green onion, ginger and garlic.
Rub both sides of fish with a bit of salt, sprinkle with ground pepper and garlic. Add to dish used for steaming.
Add tofu and radish to dish.
Load it up with the ginger and diced green onion.
Steam on high heat for 10-15 minutes or longer depending on thickness of fish until it flakes.
While fish is steaming, heat vegetable oil and sesame oil in a small pan on medium heat until hot, but not smoking.
When fish is 2 minutes from being done, add the sugar and soy sauce mixture.
Add oil mixture to fish when cooked.
Garnish with julienned green onion.
Serve with a bowl of steamed rice.
I like to spoon a little bit of everything onto the rice (a mix of white and sprouted brown rice as of late) and mix in some of the sauce.
The original recipe calls for whole ling cod, but I’ve always just used cod or halibut fillets. We used basa here because there were no other options at the grocery store. It turned out fine, but I still prefer the other fish. This recipe is quite flexible. Add as much or as little garlic, green onion, ginger and soy sauce as you like. Omit the tofu and preserved radish if it’s not your cup of tea. The fish is the main star after all.
I hope you enjoy this simple dish!
What is your favourite fish recipe?
I am not a big fish eater, but I have found that I love it blackened. I have a recipe for Blackened Mahi Mahi on my blog if you’re interested…
i will definitely have to give that recipe a try. thanks!
Cooking fish is not much different than other proteins. As with everything else, the more you prepare it the more comfortable you will get. Asian flavors go nicely with seafood and yours sounds simple and delicious. I just did a post on Asian glazed salmon that you might enjoy.
thanks for the input! i will check out your blog for the salmon recipe. thanks!
This looks so pretty. I have a fish steamer somewhere and I’ve not had fish in WAY too long. I should give something like this a shot.
thanks! how do you usually prepare your fish?
Well, for a gal that doesn’t have many fish recipes, this one really rocks! It’s so pretty and very gourmet!! Can’t wait to see what you come up with next!
aww…thanks for the sweet words!
Mmmm that looks so good!!
thanks!
do you have a favourite recipe for fish?
When I first saw the pictures I thought the tofu was butter! So much more yummy and less deadly the way you actually made it:]
oh…i would be scared too if this dish required that much butter! maybe i should label my photos.
Yum! I’ve grown up eating lots of fish, and my favourite is steamed fish! My mom steamed the fish with shiitake mushrooms, sour plums, tomatoes, preserved salted vegetables and loads of ginger. (: Yours look so good and delicious!
thanks! mmm…your mom’s steamed fish sounds good. can i have the recipe?
My mom doesn’t keep a recipe, she uses her so-called “instincts” when making it. Hahah. I found a recipe similar to my mom’s, except she doesn’t use the chili, soy sauce and rice wine called for in the recipe.
http://www.noobcook.com/teochew-steamed-fish/
thanks for finding the recipe! my mom’s the same way…doesn’t cook from recipes and doesn’t write down her recipes.
Yea, it’s a headache trying to re-create their recipes! My mom always says, “just go with your gut feelings and trial and error” but I just can’t!
I don’t know anything about fish! I love eating it, but it’s really intimidating to me to cook it!
I did make a Senegalese fish stew when I lived in the city. It was really cheap, because I lived in a Puerto Rican neighborhood and cassava, yams, and the like were at every store! It was a really comforting and enjoyable stew:
http://friedsig.wordpress.com/2010/10/11/thiebou-diene-senegalese-rice-and-fish-stew/
Other than that, my favorite way to cook fish is in a Moroccan type of tagine, spiced and with lots of fresh herbs! Yum!
Your recipe looks really good, but I don’t understand how you steamed it! I’m sorry, but would you mind explaining how you did it?
thank-you! the stew and tangine sound delicious! i will have to give it a try sometime.
to steam, i fill a wok half full with water. then i crisscross (like tic-tac-toe) 4 chopsticks and put this in the wok, then cover with a lid and turn the heat on high. when the water boils, i rest the dish with the fish ontop of the chopsticks, cover with the lid and steam. there is a better explanation here: http://cookingwithalison.com/2010/02/24/how-to-steam-foods/
hope this helps!
Oh my gosh this looks good. I have a similar recipe but this looks so much better. I will try it this weekend. I love the ginger soy sugar combo. That really works for me.My household right now is complaining of all the delicious fried and BBQ food I have been putting in front of them (I am on a fried food kick right now). This dish just might satisfy my craving for sweet and theirs for healthier fare. Thanks forposting this. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thanks again, Gmom
thanks! i love the smell of the ginger and green onion. if you use the preserved vegetable, it’s a bit salty so you may want to adjust the soy sauce amount. and you can also reduce the oil too if you’re concerned about the amount. i hope you like it!
how can your family possibly be complaining about delicious fried and BBQ foods?? how could they?!?!?
if you like fried food, try my easy udon with prawn tempura. http://trialsinfood.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/easy-peasy-udon-with-prawn-tempura/
Pingback: Asian glazed salmon with bean salad | trials in food