Asian Steamed Fish

Close ups shot of perfectly steamed cod with ginger and green onions Asian sauce.

5 from 18 votes

Our Asian Steamed Fish fillet recipe is a healthy low carb easy recipe with a punch of Cantonese and Japanese flavors blended into a delightfulAsian Fusion 20-minute dinner idea.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Fish and Seafood, Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese, Japanese

Servings:

Calories: 338kcal

Author: HWC Magazine

Equipment

wok or large deep frying pan
plate
chopsticks, metal wok steamer device, bamboo steamer or ramekin dish

Ingredients

Steamed Fish

water - depending on the size of your steaming device enough water so that level of water is about 2 inches below
3 slices diakon radish peeled and sliced thin
10 ounces white fish boneless and skinless fillets ( We used cod but any delicate white fish you fancy would work well: tilapia, halibut, etc) See recipe notes for whole fish steaming instructions
1 inch ginger fresh ginger knob peeled and cut into thin julienne slices or like match sticks
2 bok choy optional - cut in half lengthwise or veggie of choice

Asian Sauce

¾ teaspoon dashi powder mixed in ¼ cup water (or ¼ cup homemade dashi broth)
¼ cup water to mix with dried dashi powder (hold if using homemade dashi broth)
1 tablespoon oil
1 inch ginger fresh ginger knob peeled and cut into thin julienne slices or like match sticks
3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
6 green onions Cut into thirds and sliced horizontally
2 tablespoon mirin (Japanese cooking rice wine)
1 teaspoon sugar or sugar alternative
2 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari to keep gluten free
⅛ teaspoon white pepper or to taste
sesame oil - 1 teaspoon
1 bunch cilantro (coriander) optional but very delicious
rice - optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Set up your steamer. If you have built in oven steamer or fish oven, prepare per factory recommendations. However, if you don't have a steamer, don't worry as long as you have a wok or deep pan with a tight fitting lid then you can create a modified steamer with common things around the house. There are 4 options that work very well for us..
1) Metal wok steamer plate inserted in a wok or deep pan with a plate on top.
2) Two chopsticks criss crossed in a wok or deep pan with a plate on top.
3) Ramekin or small dipping dish upside down, then your flat plate on top of that and lid on top of that. Apple Corers are another great option as they are just slightly elevated.
4) Bamboo steamer on top of a pot or in a wok.
Place enough water at the bottom of your pan so that the water level is at least 2 inches away from the steamer basket, plate, etc. Turn on your burner and bring your steamer to a boil. Watch the video below and you watch how this works in action.
(If you are planning to serve rice with your meal, start cooking your rice now, if diabetic or watching your carbs replace the rice with more assorted veggies, mushrooms or cauliflower rice)
Place peeled and sliced diakon slices (or other vegetables like carrot slices or lettuce) on your steaming plate to prevent your fish from sticking to the plate or steamer basket.
Place cod fish fillets (or any mild white fish of preference like mahi mahi, tilapia, haddock, etc.) on top on the diakon radishes (or other vegetables) on your steaming plate (bamboo basket). If you prefer to steam a whole fish, see recipe notes for details.
Place julienne sliced ginger on top of fish fillets (if using whole fish stuff the cavity of the fish with ginger slices). Just as a quick note you will needing more ginger julienne slices for the Asian sauce.
Arrange bok choy or other green vegetables of choice around fish. Once the steamer water comes to a boil, put your fish with bok choy plate into the steamer. Depending on the size of your fish, you will need to stream your fish between4 or up to 8-10 minutes. Larger or thicker fish fillets or whole fish will take longer to cook than thinner fillets. Our cod cooked in 4 minutes. Your fish should flake easily with a fork and no longer be translucent. The quick cooking green veggies should be aldente.
In the meantime, make your Asian sauce. In a small pan, add oil, ginger, garlic, half of the green onions, dashi broth, mirin, sugar or sugar alternative, soy or tamari sauce and white pepper to taste. Adjust seasoning to taste. Just before removing the sauce from the pan add the rest of the green onions and give it a quick stir.
Remove fish and bok choy from steamer and drain well. Drizzle Asian sauce on top and sesame oil. Garnish with Cilantro (coriander)and enjoy! Serve on its own for a low carb dinner or with rice for a delicious full meal.

Video

Notes

We used cod for this recipe but you can use any white fish you desire. Time for steaming will depend on the size of fish and thickness. Start looking at your fish at 4 minutes and reassess. Your fish should flake easily with a fork and no longer be translucent. The quick cooking green veggies should be aldente.

What Fish is Good for Steaming?

What is your favorite mild flavored sustainable white fish? Then, that is exactly the one you should choose for this recipe. Depending on where you live in the world, your access to different kinds of fish will be variable. We used wild caught Pacific Cod fillets for this recipe as it was sustainable, easy to find and not too expensive.

In the US, you may want to choose cod, haddock, grouper, bass, halibut, and many more. If you want to learn more about sustainable fish options, be sure to check out Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. In Hong Kong, we would steam a “whole” Red Big Eyed Snapper. If grouper is in your budget, that would be a delicious option too. Depending on what country you are in, look for wild, fresh and sustainable mild white fish.

How to Steam a Whole Fish

Pick a fish that is still swimming, looks healthy and eyes are bright. Have your fish monger gut, scale and trim the dorsal fins for you.

Once you get your fish at home, scrub your fish with salt and water in running water. Pat dry and then cut a few slices into the sides of the fish to help with the steaming process.

Stuff the cavity of the whole fish with ginger. Next you will need to find a steaming device that can fit a whole fish. A wok with a large plate usually works well, using the options listed above for steaming a fish in a pan or without a steamer.

If you are steaming a whole fish, you will need to increase your steaming time. Start checking the fish at the 6 minute mark. Generally, it takes between 8 to 12 minutes to steam a fish, depending on its size. Once again, your fish will flake easily and no longer be translucent when cooked properly. The eyes will turn white. If you want to make a proper Cantonese Steamed fish, using a whole fish is the way to go.

Nutrition