Steamed Pampano with Soy Sauce and Sesame oil

Steamed Pampano with Soy Sauce and Sesame oil. Steaming fish similar of what is served in Chinese restaurant is a challenge. Most of the time you will end up with visually unappealing plate of fish. Worse is it may also taste awfully fishy. This is of course if you try to steam a fish without first reading at least a how to steam a fish Chinese style book or a recipe. 

Steaming a fish similar to what is serve in a Chinese restaurant is not straight simple as it seems. It involves several cooking steps and choosing the right ingredients and picking the freshest fish. There are of course a number of ways to steam a fish. From a fish that is properly steamed in a bamboo steamers to just pouched and served disguised as steamed.

Most of us Pinoy steam our fish using aluminum. The fish is wrapped sealed in aluminum foil and grilled in open charcoal or broiled in an oven. The fish and aromatic ingredients juices are trapped inside the sealed aluminum foil heated to steam the fish.

Below are some of related fish dish cooked either grilled or steamed Chinese style. Just click the list link to check out the recipes.

Steamed Fish, Steamed Maya Maya

Royal Apahap, Steam Fish with Mayonnaise

Steamed Tilapia

Here is the recipe of another version of steaming a fish, my Steamed Pampano with Soy Sauce and Sesame oil.

Ingredients:

1 large size pompano

2-3 thumb size ginger, skinned, cut into strips

1 bundle spring onion, cut diagonally

1 bundle kinchay, trimmed, trimed

2 tbsp. cooking oil

1/3 soy sauce

1 tsp. sugar

sesame oil

salt and pepper

Cooking procedure:

Remove the guts and gills of the pompano. Make a couple of diagonal slits on both sides of the fish. Wash fish and pat dry. Rub fish including the cavities with salt and pepper. Keep aside. In wok pour about 2 cups of water then add in 1/3 of the ginger, spring onion and kinchay. Place the steaming rack on the wok making sure that it is just above the water level, add more water as necessary. Bring to a boil then place the fish on the rack. Place another 1/3 of the ginger, spring onion and kinchay on top of the fish. Cover wok with a large pan lid and let steam for 10 to 15 minutes. In the meantime blend the soy sauce, sugar, few drops of sesame oil and 1/4 to 1/3 cup of water in a bowl and keep aside. Now transfer the steamed fish in a serving platter, discard the steaming water and all the steaming ingredients residue. In a small frying pan heat generous amount of cooking oil until it is smoking. Quickly stirfry the last 1/3 of the ginger, spring onion and kinchay for about half minute, do not over fry. When done arrange the ginger, spring onion and kinchay on top of the fish. Using the same pan re-heat the cooking oil until it is smoking hot. In the meantime boil for about 1/2 minute the soy sauce and sugar mixture in a small pan. Now pour the heated oil over the fish. Then pour the soy mixture over the fish. Serve immediately with rice.