Entree: Malaysia – Malaysian Chinese – 薑蔥豉油蒸魚 ➤ Jiang cong chi you zheng yu (Whole steamed white fish topped with ginger and scallions and finished with a hot soy-and-oil dressing)

Food safety reminder: Follow safe food-handling practices and use a food thermometer to verify safe internal cooking temperatures.

Serving Size: 4

Approximate Time

Prep 10 min

Cook 12 min

Total 22 min

Ingredients

1 whole sea bass, 700–900 g gross (example species for estimating); estimated cooked edible flesh: 350 g, assuming about 45% edible yield from the 800 g midpoint
Light soy sauce, 30 ml (about 32 g)
Shaoxing wine, 15 ml (about 15 g)
Granulated sugar, 5 ml (about 4 g)
Sesame oil, 15 ml (about 14 g)
Vegetable oil, 45 ml (about 41 g), for hot oil
Fresh ginger, 5 cm piece (about 10 g), julienned; reserve some thin slices for steaming
Scallions, 4 medium (about 60 g), white and green parts separated and julienned
Water, 60 ml (60 g), for steaming base
Salt, 2.5 ml (about 3 g)
White pepper, 1.25 ml (about 0.7 g)
Rice vinegar, 15 ml (about 15 g), optional
Fresh cilantro, chopped, 1 tbsp (about 4 g), optional
Lime wedges, from 1 medium lime (about 45 g edible portion), for serving

Instructions

1. Clean the whole fish and pat it dry. Make 2–3 diagonal cuts on each side. Season the cavity and both sides with the salt and white pepper, and place some thin ginger slices inside the cavity.
2. Arrange the reserved ginger and the white parts of the scallions on a heatproof platter that fits in the steamer. Set the fish on top. Add the measured water to the steamer base.
3. Bring the steamer water to a rolling boil. Place the platter in the steamer, cover, and steam over high heat until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily, about 8–12 minutes for a 700–900 g fish; adjust for size.
4. While the fish steams, combine the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, and sesame oil in a small bowl.
5. Thinly slice the green parts of the scallions. When the fish is cooked, remove it from the steamer and scatter the scallion greens over it.
6. Heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering and very hot. Carefully pour it over the scallions and ginger on the fish.
7. Pour the soy-sesame mixture evenly over the fish. Garnish with cilantro if using, and serve immediately with lime wedges.