I love steamed whole fish for the ease of preparation and fuss-free cooking. I love pompano for its firm and delectable flesh. Seasoned simply with ginger sauce, soy sauce and sesame seed oil, this dish has long been a family favorite.
Cook’s notes
This is an updated version of a recipe from 2007. Nothing has been modified except for the garnish. Back then, I topped the fish with fried garlic and cilantro; in this updated version, I opted for fried garlic, fried shallots and finely sliced scallions. Which is better? They’re both good.
Is it a difficult dish to make? Steaming a whole fish is one of the easiest cooking methods ever. Even the ingredients list is short.
Steamed pompano with ginger sauce
Ingredients
- 2 whole pompano (2.6 pounds / 1.2 kilograms in total weight) gutted and scaled
- ¼ cup ginger juice or 3 to 4 tablespoons grated fresh ginger with the juice
- ½ cup light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
- fried garlic
- fried shallots
- thinly sliced scallions
Instructions
- Start boiling water in your steamer.
- Score the pompano and place each in a heatproof shallow bowl.
- Mix together the ginger sauce or grated ginger, soy sauce and sesame seed oil.
- Pour the mixed sauce over the fish.
- Steam the fish over briskly boiling water for 30 minutes.
- When the fish is done, remove the bowls from the steamer basket(s), scoop the sauce around it with a spoon and drizzle over the top of the fish.
- Sprinkle with fried garlic and shallots, and sliced scallions.
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