Steamed Fish

This was the first time, since entering the woods 2.5 years ago, that we steamed a whole fish at home! How we missed eating steamed fish!

Most of the fish we see at the supermarket are fish fillets. There are a few supermarkets that sell the fish as a whole, with the head and tail attached. However, they are either not so fresh, or very expensive.

A couple of days more to Christmas, and I thought we had better stock up on our pantry supplies. So we took a trip down to Costco. It was not a wasted trip! We saw a counter selling fresh red snapper, cooked crab claws, and lobsters! The red snapper was selling at $5.99 per pound, vs $9.99 per pound at the supermarket near our apartment. It was a steal! We got one that weighed a little below a pound.

Hubby dear loves eating fish. He was very excited and was looking forward to dinner. I really disliked removing the scales from the fish, and so he volunteered to do it =) Phew! We had to line the walls of the sink with either aluminium foil, or papers from magazines. The scales flew all over the sink!

While hubby dear was removing the scales, I soaked the chinese mushrooms in warm water, and sliced the ginger. Finally, he removed the scales from the fish. After cleaning and pat drying it, we were ready to marinate the fish!

3 tbsp Shaoxing Wine

2 tbsp Soy Sauce (Kikomman low sodium)

2 tbsp Sesame Oil

1 tbsp Mirin (Optional)

1 tbsp Water

2 inch Knob Old Ginger (sliced)

4 pcs Chinese Dried Mushrooms (reconstitute in warm water and sliced)

• Bring a pan of water to boil.
• Place the steaming stand and plate of fish in the pan of boiling water.
• Steam for 8 minutes. Yes, set the timer in case you forget the time and fish gets overcooked.

That was the most satisfying dinner we had for the year! The fish was very fresh, sweet and soft. We will be back for more!