Steamed pompano with ginger sauce

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

Prep: 5

Cook: 30

Total: 35

Servings: 4 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Label: Steamed

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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.