Steamed Fish with Ginger and Scallions (Ging Zheng Yu)
You can use a bamboo steamer instead of a wok or skillet to steam the fish for this simple Taiwanese favorite.
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Credit: Christie Johnston
Ingredients
1 14 oz. whole fish, such as seabass or red snapper, cleaned
1 1" piece ginger, peeled and cut
into coins, plus one 3" piece,
peeled and julienned
2 tbsp. Chinese cooking wine,
usually labeled michiu
2 tbsp. light soy sauce
2 tbsp. dried fermented black
beans, soaked for 30 minutes
and drained
3 scallions, julienned
1⁄4 cup canola oil
Instructions
1. Put fish on a 12" plate and slide half of the ginger coins underneath the fish. Put remaining ginger coins inside cavity of fish; set aside. Pour water to a depth of 1" into a 14" high-sided skillet or wok and bring to a boil. Working with an 18" length of aluminum foil, roll foil into a rope and form a circle. Place foil circle in bottom of wok and rest plate with fish on top. Cover wok and steam fish over high heat until cooked through, about 15 minutes.2. Using a kitchen towel and tongs, transfer plate to a cooling rack and pour off excess liquid. Drizzle fish with wine and soy sauce and scatter julienned ginger, black beans, and scallions over fish. Pour oil into a 1-qt. saucepan over high heat and heat until smoking. Drizzle hot oil over fish and toppings and serve.
SERVES 2
 Recipe - Saveur.com){kind=link}
Liquid from steam is putrid and will ruin the dish unless (a) totally poured off, or (b) blood is let out during the killing of a live fish. Since people outside of Hong Kong tend to get non-live fish, pouring off all the liquid is the best advice.
A chopstick under the fish will allow steam to circulate to the underside during cooking.
Very hot peanut oil is poured over the fish before the sauce to seal the skin from soaking up too much soy sauce.
Steam time depends on size of fish. But 15 minutes usually guarantees over-cooked fish.