Photo credit: © Eatwell101.comSeafood seems to be a hit or miss dish for people. For me, it’s definitely a hit. Seafood is a great alternative to red meats, poultry, and pork. One of my favorite things is that seafood is generally high in protein and low in calories. Take for example, in this recipe, a 4oz halibut fillet is only 125 calories. From that serving comes 23g of protein! This helped a lot when I was trying to lower my daily calorie intake while maintaining a high protein intake. Besides that, seafood just tastes amazing in general!
Some people may be fearful of handling seafood, but fear not! Handling seafood is just as simple as handling any other kind of meat. If you stop by your local fish market or fish department, the fish mongers will handle all the dirty work for you. Fish is usually sold in fillets anyways, but the fish mongers will debone and skin a fillet if requested. Just remember to keep the fish cold when you get take it home!
This recipe is a simplified version of traditional steamed fish from China. The original calls for a whole fish, skin on with all the bones in. This version is much easier and quicker, and still taste just as good! I used halibut, since it’s a great local option for me in Santa Barbara, Ca, however any type of white fish could be used as a substitute.
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Chinese Style Steamed Fish
Serving Size: 1
Ingredients list:
- 2 Stalks of Green Onions
- 2 inch Piece of Ginger Root
- ¼ Teaspoon Thai Chilies
- 2 Tablespoon Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1/8 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
- 4 Ounce Halibut Fillet
Instructions:
1. Take the green onions and ginger and julienne them into 2-3 inch strips.
2. Place a few pieces of green onion on a heat safe plate and put the fish fillet on top of the onions. The onions on the bottom of the plate act as a spacer so that the fillet gets steamed more evenly.
3. Then take the ginger and lay it out on top of the fish fillet.
4. Fill a pot with about an inch of water and turn the heat to high. Place a steamer rack into the pot and wait for the water to boil. When the water is boiling put the plate with the fish on it inside the pot.
5. Steam for about 5 minutes or until the fish looks opaque and flakey.
6. As the fish is steaming, grab a small pot/pan and bring a tablespoon of canola oil to a boil.
7. In a separate bowl mix 2 tbsps. of soy sauce and mix with equal parts water and 1/8 tsp of sesame oil (equivalent to a few drops).
8. When the fish is done steaming, carefully bring the plate out and pour out all the juices that have collected around the fish. Remove the ginger on top of the fish. If the plate is too hot to handle, just transfer the entire fillet to a a new plate. Be careful though, as the fish will break apart of not carefully handled.
9. Put the remaining green onions and chilies on top of the fillet. (If you prefer a meal with a little less heat, then leave the chilies out.)
10. As the oil is boiling on the side, carefully pour it over the chilies and green onion.
11. Take the soy sauce mixture and pour it into the pot or pan that was used for boiling the oil. This will heat up the soy sauce mixture without burning the soy sauce.
12. Pour the soy sauce mixture over the fish and you’re done!
Tom Lee is a business development associate for the Santa Barbara Fish Market where you can support local fishermen and buy fresh seafood online or buy fresh fish online.
