Gin's Kitchen - Steamed Snapper

Day 99

Everyone around me knows that I am not a fan of fish. It is the last thing on the menu that I will order. I only eat fish that are cooked by my godfather who is a superb chef and probably, fish and chips. But Mr Tan LOVES fish. He always says that people who eat lots of fish are smart, with the exception of a few (like GZW, YZ..haha) and attributes my mediocre intelligence to the lack of fish in my diet. =P

Today is the first time I am steaming a whole snapper. I usually buy cutlets to steam but Mr Tan prefers to eat a whole fish. He finds the cutlets too tough after steaming and it lacks the fish taste, which is exactly why I buy them. I don't like the fishy smell. Haha.

Although the snapper has been cleaned by the fishmonger, there was still some scales on the fish and I have absolutely no idea how to clean the fish except to use the knife to scrap them off. I hate the fishy smell that lingers on my hands. Yucks!

Ingredients

Snapper (500 - 600g)

Ginger (Cut into thin strips)
Coriander (I love coriander!)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or rice wine

Soy Sauce Mixture:

4 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons shaoxing wine or rice wine
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sesame oil (Love the smell of sesame oil)
3 dashes white pepper powder
2 tablespoons sugar

1) Clean the fish and pat dry

2) Pour 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine to the fish and place half of the ginger on top of the fish

3) Heat the wok with water and wait for the water to boil before putting the fish in

4) Cover and steam the fish for 8 mins

5) Remove the fish from the wok and and pour away the fish water and discard the ginger. Place the remaining new ginger on top of the fish

6) Heat up the wok over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, swirl around until it’s hot. Pour the hot oil over the steamed fish

7) Using the same wok, add the soy sauce mixture and stir well. As soon as the sauce bubbles up and boils, pour the soy sauce over the fish

8) Top the fish with coriander

Verdict: This sauce mixture tasted so much better! When I was heating the sauce in the wok, Mr Tan asked, "你在煮什么？很香." I used to add the mixture to the fish and steam everything together. I am so ditching the old way! This sauce mixture requires more work but for the sake of tastier food, I will do it! Plus, it adds points to my good wife ratings. Haha.