A family favorite is Chinese-style steamed fish. There really isn’t a recipe, per se, just an overall technique. What you will need:
a whole fish, cleaned. Get a fish that will fit in your wok or in your roasting pan.
toasted sesame seed oil
cilantro, chopped (Chinese parsley)
garlic, chopped
onions or shallots, chopped
fermented black beans, crushed
dry (not sweet) sherry
1/4 cup peanut or canola oil
chopped green onions
How much you use of these ingredients will depend on the size of the cavity in your fish.
First, the black beans. These are not black beans that you use in your chili, rather these are dried, fermented soy beans with an extremely pungent smell. I keep them double bagged and in the freezer.
Some people soak them first in a bit of water (they’re very salty), but I just mush up a couple tablespoons and let them soak in enough sherry to moisten them.
While the beans are soaking, look at your fish. See those sharp points on the fins? Take a pair of cooking shears and cut off the tips. Be careful; fish are covered in bacteria. My cousin in Alaska stuck herself on the tip of the dorsal fin of a salmon, and ended up with a massive infection and on a Cipro IV drip.
Prepare your steaming pan: Set a rack or a heat proof bowl (upside down if you use the bowl) in the bottom of your pan. Fill the pan with a couple inches of water, put it on your stove, and bring the water up to a gentle boil.
Next, take your chopped garlic, shallots, cilantro, and combine them with the black bean-sherry mixture. Add about a teaspoon of the sesame oil, but don’t go overboard with it, as it is a very strong flavor. Stuff the cavity of the fish with the entire mixture, as shown in the photo at the top of this post.
Set the fish on the rack in your pot, and cover the whole thing with foil or your wok lid. This fish was bigger than one I normally would use, so I had to use my roasting pan.
Steam the fish until done. This will depend on the size and thickness of your fish. The place to check is up by the dorsal fin: A knife should penetrate easily, and the flesh should flake. As a guideline, I usually start testing at around 20 minutes.
While the fish is cooking, heat the peanut oil until it starts to shimmer. When the fish is done, carefully uncover the steam pot (you do not want to get a steam burn), set the lid aside, and then carefully pour the hot oil over the top of the fish. You will hear it sizzle and see the skin crisp up.
Place fish on a serving platter and serve whole, garnished with chopped green onions and/or cilantro. This is great with just plain, steamed white rice. No, not the Uncle Ben’s kind!