Tea-smoked Fish Fillets

Name: Tea-smoked Fish Fillets
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Singaporean
Ingredients: 5 tablespoons uncooked rice; 600 g (1¼ lbs) seabass or other firm white fish fillet like snapper or garoupa; Pickled mustard cabbage (kiam chye); 20 cloves; Fennel sprigs, to garnish (optional); 5 tablespoons Chinese black tea leaves; 5 tablespoons soy sauce; 5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed; 1 tablespoon salt; 3 cinnamon sticks (each 8 cm/3 in); ½ cup (125 ml) ice water; 1 tablespoon sugar; ¼ cup (60 ml) ginger juice (see note); 5 star anise pods

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
35 min

Appears in

The Food of Singapore

By Djoko Wibisono

Published 2015

About

Smoking food—especially duck or pork—over a mixture of tea leaves is a popular method of preparing and preserving food in the western Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of China. This excellent Singapore adaptation makes use of the abundant supply of local seafood.

Ingredients

600 g (1¼ lbs) seabass or other firm white fish fillet like snapper or garoupa
Fennel sprigs, to garnish (optional)

Asia
Singapore
Fish course
Pescatarian
South East Asia
Street Food

Method

Combine the Marinade ingredients in a bowl until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved. Drizzle the Marinade over the fish fillet and set aside for 3 hours. Then drain the fish, pat dry with paper towels and set aside.
Heat a wok over low heat and add the Smoking Mix. Place the fish on a wire grill or round bamboo rack inside the wok at least