Recipe · made with Red Lapu-Lapu
Steamed Lapu-Lapu
Steaming is how you honour a truly fresh fish: nothing to hide behind, just clean, silky flesh perfumed with ginger and scallion. This is the Cantonese-style steamed fish you get at the best seafood houses, finished with a slick of soy and a pour of smoking-hot oil that blooms the aromatics at the table. Simple, fast, and quietly impressive.
The cook · 15 min active
Boil the water
3 min
Steam
11 min
Finish
1 min
Method
- Prep and elevateThaw the fish fully and pat dry. Score two diagonal cuts on each side so it steams evenly. Lay the ginger coins on a heatproof plate and rest the fish on top, which lifts it so steam can circulate underneath.
- Get a rolling boilSet up a steamer with a few centimetres of water and bring it to a full, rolling boil. The water must be at a hard boil before the fish goes in.
- Steam, high heatLower the plate in, cover, and steam over high heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until the flesh at the thickest part flakes easily and is opaque to the bone.
- Mix the sauceWhile it steams, stir the soy, water or wine, and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Cut the ginger matchsticks and spring onions and keep them ready.
- Drain the liquidCarefully lift the plate out and tip away the watery liquid that has pooled, since it can taste muddy. Scatter the ginger matchsticks and spring onions over the fish.
- Bloom with hot oilPour the soy mixture around, not over, the fish. Heat the oil until it just begins to smoke, then pour it slowly over the scallions and ginger so it sizzles and blooms their aroma.
- Serve sizzlingFinish with cilantro and serve immediately, while everything still sizzles, with plenty of rice.
Chef's notes
- The fish must be impeccably fresh; steaming hides nothing.
- Elevating the fish on ginger coins lets steam circulate so it cooks evenly.
- Pour the hot oil over the aromatics, not the fish, so it blooms the ginger and scallion.
- Tip away the pooled steaming liquid; it tastes muddy and dilutes the sauce.
Per 100 g serving · Protein 20 g · Omega-3 250 mg · 92 kcal. Values approximate.
Good to know
How do I know the fish is cooked?
The flesh at the thickest part, behind the head, turns opaque and flakes easily off the bone. For a 500g fish, 10 to 12 minutes over a hard boil is usually right.
Why pour hot oil at the end?
The smoking-hot oil blooms the raw ginger and scallion instantly, releasing their aroma and lightly cooking them. It is what makes the dish smell incredible at the table.
Can I use fillets?
Yes, but reduce the steaming time to 6 to 8 minutes and watch closely. A whole fish stays more moist and is more forgiving.
No steamer, what can I use?
A wide pot with a heatproof plate set on a ring or two crossed chopsticks works perfectly. Just keep the water below the plate at a rolling boil.
What is the white liquid that pools on the plate?
That is moisture drawn from the fish as it steams. Tip it away before saucing; left in, it dilutes the soy and can taste a little muddy.
