Shanghai-Style Steamed Fish

Name: Shanghai-Style Steamed Fish
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: ½ teaspoon sesame oil; zest from half an orange, cut into julienne; ¼ teaspoon sea salt; 2 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, stalks removed, finely sliced; 1 spring onion (scallion), cut into julienne; 3 tablespoons peanut oil; 125 ml (4 fl oz/¾ cup) fresh chicken stock; 2 tablespoons light soy sauce; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; a pinch of white pepper; 1 × 500–600 g (1 lb 2–5 oz) whole snapper, scaled and cleaned; 60 g (2¼ oz) minced (ground) pork; 1 small knob of ginger, peeled and cut into julienne; 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

Preparation info

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Balance and Harmony

By Neil Perry

Published 2008

About

This is a slightly more robust dish than the ginger and spring onion. Don’t be afraid of the pork and fish mix; it’s a classic because it’s so good and yet so very easy to prepare.

Ingredients

1 × 500–600 g (1 lb 2–5 oz) whole snapper, scaled and cleaned
60

Asia
China
Main course
Spring

Method

Pat the fish dry with paper towel and put it on a chopping board. Make three diagonal cuts into the thickest part of the fish, then repeat in the opposite direction to make a diamond pattern — this will help the fish cook more evenly. Turn the fish over and do the same on the other side, then lay the fish in a heatproof bowl that will fit into your steamer basket.

Mix t