🐟 Cantonese steamed whole fish

Name: Cantonese steamed whole fish
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: China · Guangdong
Ingredients: 1 whole fish (sea bass or snapper), about 800 g, cleaned; 30 g fresh ginger, half sliced, half shredded; 4 scallions, shredded; 3 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tsp sugar; 2 tbsp water; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp sesame oil

Origin: China · Guangdong

285kcal

per serving · 300 g

95kcal

per 100 g

51 gProtein17 g / 100 g

9 gFat3 g / 100 g

2 gCarbs0.5 g / 100 g

Cantonese steamed fish is a whole fresh fish steamed just until the flesh leaves the bone, then topped with shredded ginger and scallion, seasoned soy sauce and sizzling oil with a touch of sesame. The flesh is tender and clean-tasting, and the sauce pools around it. It is a centrepiece of family dinners, served with rice.

Diets

✓

No pork

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

✓

Keto-friendly0.5 g carbs per 100 g

✓

High protein17 g protein per 100 g — 72% of the calories

Not vegetarianbecause of: whole fish

Not veganbecause of: whole fish

Contains glutenbecause of: soy sauce

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Gluten ⚠ Fish ⚠ Soy ⚠ Sesame

What it is made of

whole fishgingerscallionsoy saucesesame oil

Recipe

3 servings30 min

Ingredients

1 whole fish (sea bass or snapper), about 800 g, cleaned
30 g fresh ginger, half sliced, half shredded
4 scallions, shredded
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp sesame oil

Method

Score the fish on both sides and lay it on a plate over the ginger slices.
Steam over rapidly boiling water for 10–12 minutes.
Warm the soy sauce with sugar and water.
Drain the plate, top the fish with shredded ginger and scallions and pour the sauce around it.
Heat both oils until smoking and pour over the scallions. Serve immediately.

How to make it lighter

Use only a teaspoon of sesame oil: 1 tsp ≈ 40 kcal.
Use a light hand with the soy sauce to keep salt down.
Serve with steamed greens and a small portion of plain rice.

History

In Cantonese cooking the freshness of the fish is the point, and restaurants in Guangdong and Hong Kong traditionally keep fish alive in tanks. A whole fish is served at Lunar New Year because the word for fish sounds like the word for abundance.

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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →