Steamed snapper with garlic, ginger and black bean

Steaming a fish is a lot easier than people might think and adding flavour to it is as simple a quick stir-fry of aromatic ingredients.

• serves

  4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 whole snapper (about 700 g), cleaned and scaled
• 5 thick slices ginger
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 bird’s eye chilli, sliced
• 2 tbsp salted black beans, rinsed
• 5 thick spring onions, finely shredded on the diagonal
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp Shaoxing wine
• pinch of sugar
• coriander sprigs, to serve

This dish serves 4 as part of a shared meal.

Instructions

1. Using a large sharp knife, make 3 deep slashes on both sides of the snapper. Place the fish on a heatproof plate, then place the ginger slices into the cavity. Place the plate into a steamer and steam for 15 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove the cooked fish from the steamer and carefully pour the collected juices into a bowl.
2. Meanwhile, heat a wok over high heat and add the oil. Fry the garlic and chilli together for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the black beans and spring onions and toss to wilt the spring onions. Add the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar and about 2 tablespoons of the fish liquid.
3. Pour the black bean mixture over the fish, place some coriander sprigs on top and serve immediately.

 

Photography by Adam Liaw.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.