Easy Steamed Fish
Easy steamed fish (清蒸鱼)
I learnt this super easy way of cooking steamed fish from my mum and to me, this dish is perfect in every way.
Perfect because … this dish cost about S$4 (cheap!), 10 minutes to prepare (easy!) and 10 minutes to cook (fast!). It’s super healthy, and no messy clean ups later. It has all my favourite tastes (salty/spicy/tangy) as well as favourite food ingredients like ginger, spring onions, mushrooms, chili, tomato and sour plums. I lick up every last drop of the water that comes from steaming the fish… so satisfying! =D
This is so easy that you can whip this up when you’re cooking for one person too. Simply cook some rice (or porridge) while you are steaming the fish and you have a healthy, delicious home cooked meal in no time. To me, this certainly beats eating crappy & unhealthy food court meals for around the same price ;p
My bottle of salted plums
Note: If you like a recipe for steaming a whole fish, check out my Teochew steamed fish recipe.
Ingredients
(Serves 1-2)
Note: If cooking for more, just use a bigger piece of fish and add more of the other ingredients accordingly to fill the plate.- 1 small cut of fish (about 150g onwards)
- 1 thick stalk spring onions, cut to 2 inch lengths
- 5 slices ginger, sliced thinly
- 1 chilli padi, sliced thinly (adjust or omit to your liking)
- 1/2 to 1 tomato, cut to small wedges
- 2 shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
- 1 sour plum (aka salted plum)
- 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp water (or more if you like more “soup”)Directions
1. Place fish (skin side down) in a deep plate. Drizzle light soy sauce and water over the fish. Keep in fridge (covered) for at least 30 minutes if you can.
2. Scatter the rest of the ingredients evenly over the fish.
3. Steam on high heat for 10-15 minutes (note: for the small piece I had, it is cooked after 10 minutes of steaming).
Clean plate, a sign of satisfaction (or greed?)
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{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }
This is the kind of dish you can make all at once. Cook your rice in a pot that has a steamer top (I have an all-in-one, sometimes called a pasta pentola, that has a basket for cooking pasta and a smaller steamer that fits in the top). You can make the rice in the bottom, and in the last 10 minutes add the fish. The liquid drips down and flavors the rice!
This sounds delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever had sour plums, but they sound intriguing! What a healthy way to cook too.
I will finish everything that’s left on your plate, the fish skin and ginger. :D
I like my steam fish with sour plum too, really perfect, delicious and easy! :-)
Oh man, I want your healthy steamed fish. Is the sour plum sold in bottle? I never buy it before and thus no idea how it looks like.
Wiffy,
It looks superb! :D
Never tried cooking with sour plum before, so it’s definitely on my list of things to do with steamed fish. Thanks!
i’m just glad I’m not reading and drooling over this late at night
We do this style of steamed fish a lot in our house. It’s best with fresh fish that has flaky flesh, like cod.
What is that leftover piece of fish(or skin) doing on the plate?
I wish I had someone do all the preparation cleaning and cutting for me after a long day at work. Then, it is true…what I really have to do when I get home is that place all the ingredients on the fish and let it steam :P I am so lazy right? But really tired after coming home leh…
Totally agreed with u – Fast, healthy and no messy. That’s why I steam fish most of the time. :-)
yummy! i love steamed fish, this reminds me of the teochew way of steaming except for the salted vegetables :) I loved making steamed fish for myself while studying in London too! (yours look soo good!)
I have not tried adding sour plum to my steamed fish, I think this is a great idea! :)
Nice & easy! :up: :wink:
My father do this quite often till we were so scare of it. But he add some salted veg too. So “teochew”. :P I kinda miss it now. :-) Miss not having to lift a finger and having everything laid on the dinner table for me. :P
Lydia, thanks for sharing… I’ll try your method sometime =)
Kalyn, thanks for your kind words … the preserved sour plums are really excellent for Chinese steamed fish =)
didally, wah you eat the fish skin!! :O
LCOM, yes the sour plums are those that are served in the bottle type (preserved in water)… hope you can find it there =)
margot, thanks! ^o^
js, it’s the preserved type of sour plums that’s sold in asian grocery stores and they go very well with steamed fish =)
Joyce, hahaha … but it’s quite healthy to eat this for supper ;p
Nate, yes I agree ;p
tigerfish, u’re another one who eats fish skin ;p hope u get used to your new work soon … take care!
tastesofhome, yes this is quite ‘teochew’ way of steaming fish… next time I will add some salted veg … I will like it =D
Ning, yes u must try! =D
wokkingmum, next time I wanna add some salted veg too if I have … I miss having my mum cook this for me too … now it’s the other way round =P
my mouth is watering. i want some steamed fish too!
Yum! One of my favourite ways with fish! Dinner at your place is always so delish – was eyeing that pumpkin chawan mushi. Very creative!
Thanks for your kind words, Noobs :)
What beautiful pictures !
Haa..I just bought some fish yesterday and thinking about steaming it for dinner tonight. You are so right about this as easy, healthy and no fuss dish. Sour plum..mhh..I should check that out next time.
This is delicious, healthy comfort food!
Excellent job! I think it’s Teo Chew way of steaming fish with sour plum if I am not wrong ;) I also wonder where is your SG address so that I can knock knock your door to taste it! Wink* :P
I love a good steamed fish and this looks great!
-DTW
oh!! you cook my favourite dish!! You know what my lazy and easy way to cook or steam this fish is by microwave it for 5 minutes!! lol! I can’t wait for 20 or 30 minutes for the hot rolling boil water to cook my fish!lol!
Ur fish looks delicious. Sour plum is the miracle ingredient, I suppose.
Will definitely try it out myself at home :)
Farina, Dee, mywoklife, lisa, DTW thanks! =)
Cecil, hehe you should totally check out sour plums for steamed fish ;p
ladyhomechef, hehe ;p Yes I realised this method is quite teochew as well ;p
beachlover, woah … microwaved fish! But why not? my microwave has a steamed function too, I should explore that in future. but I since steaming my small piece only takes 10 mins, I reckon it’s already quite fast :p
Woollycroak, thanks babe! I think your steamed whole fish looks more delicious than mine ;p
Oh, sour plums with the steamed fish! Haven’t tried that before.
Hi ts, sour plums really add a nice tangy sourish taste to steamed fish… try it some time ;p
My slice fish was a disaster… dunno what I did. It’s so embarrassing to put up any pic.
Thank you so much. I always wanted to have a steamed fish but was scared to try. Your method perfectly suited my requirement.
I tried this dish today, wonderful, I used toman fillet from the supermart about S$2.50, but the sour plum that I used was a bit sweet, but it turned out pleasantly well too. Super healthy dish, thanks for the recipe :)
Hi PinkyMehan and Linty, thank you so much for your kind words and feedback. Glad both of you liked the recipe, it makes me happy to hear that :)
What’s sour plum? Can I use the paste version?
It’s the brown ball looking thing (see photos). It’s usually sold in a jar with preserved liquids and commonly used for steaming fish. I’m not sure about the paste, I’ve not tried those before.
Guys – hope it will help everyone looking for the sour plums. It is called Shatow sour plums – come in a small jar. U can get it at the provision shop.
Normally , they used it in teochew style steam fish. For the cantonese ie Hk style, no sour plum is used. Only light soya sauce
hi, where can i get sour plum? issit in bottled form?
Hi Min, it’s usually also labelled as “salted plums”. Yes the plums are soaked in liquid, usually in a glass bottle. I got mine from NTUC.
What types of fish is recommended for steaming then besides white pomfret?
Hi Jadey, you can use any type of preferred fresh fish such as silver pomfret and grouper :)
nice! really! my sister and I were fighting over the fish. I guess the plums really made a difference.
Hi!
I’m making this today! Thanks for the recipe!
I would like to know what else I can do with the salted plums. I intend to get the same bottle of salted plums but I’m not sure what to do with the rest of the plums. I prepare steamed fish at least once a week but I normally use a slightly different recipe.
tQ ..i always want to know how cook the simplest steam fish…ie chinese cooking…
Just drop by to share alternatively if u preferred crunchy vegetables; can replace the salted sour plum with preserved salted vegetables (can be found in small packet form in most supermarkets) as a topping with the red chilli and mushrooms :)
Hi, I chanced upon your food blog a few weeks ago n I must say I really like your fuss-free style…cos I’m the same. You inspired me to try out steamed fish…my dad is Cantonese while mom is Teochew which means steamed fish is often served…. I never had the courage to do it myself as it seemed an art…
But today, I plucked enuf courage n did it! I bought 4 slices of red snapper ($12) and this is what I did….sliced ginger beneath each fish slice, added minced garlic n chai po (salted radish) on top of the fish…then drizzled sesame oil on fish slices n pan…added a bit of water…then steamed for 7 mins…my family loved it…. Thanks again for giving me the courage to cook what I once Thot was insurmountable I will remain a fan of ur recipes….
love your personal touches to this dish with the chai po and sesame oil … u r good! I shall try it your way too. thanks for your kind words :)
sorry, i’m really a noob in cooking, what sort of fish should i buy for this?
Hi iris, I usually buy the already-fillet fish in the fridge section of NTUC, there are many types to choose from, it’s up to u. my fave is the red snapper or something, its with a slight reddish skin.
Hi, may I be Kay poh n suggest some fish types too? You may also use cod fish, sesame fish (Ma Yao fish in Cantonese, Ngow fish in Teochew), garouper, endless types!! If you to the wet market, ask the fishmonger which is suitable for steaming :-)
Hi, where u get the bottle salted plums, cant find it in Singapore.
Hi all,
Love this easy steamed fish, i usually use seabass for my recipe.. :D
What fish did you used?
Hi my favourite is threadfin fillet, it’s quite expensive but delicious when steamed!
Hi, I am Pooja from India. I love fish and want to experiment with steaming them. I am very intrigued by your steamed fish recipes and just wanted to know an easy recipe to make salted vegetable and also what vegetables should i use.
Thanks in advance.