Steamed Sea Bass
A Cantonese classic: sea bass steamed with shredded pork and shiitake mushrooms, yielding pale, delicate flesh and clean flavor suited to any season.
Ingredients
Sea bass (cleaned, gutted)
1 (700 g)
Pork, shredded
50 g
Dried shiitake mushrooms (rehydrated), shredded
20 g
Fine salt (for marinating and seasoning)
a pinch
Lard (for drizzling on fish)
40 g
Sesame oil (for marinating)
a pinch
Light soy sauce
a pinch
Ginger, shredded
15 g
White pepper
a pinch
Scallions (for plate base and shredded garnish)
2
Water chestnut starch (for thickening)
a pinch
MSG (for marinating)
a pinch
Instructions
1
Marinate for flavor
Clean the sea bass, gut it, and wash it thoroughly. Mix salt, sesame oil, and MSG together, then pour the mixture into the cavity of the fish. Place 2–3 scallions at the base of the plate, and lay the sea bass on top of the scallions.
2
Steam
Combine the shredded pork, rehydrated shredded shiitake mushrooms, shredded ginger, a pinch of warm salt, soy sauce, and water chestnut starch until evenly mixed. Spread this mixture over the top of the fish. Steam over rapidly boiling water over high heat for 10 minutes. Once cooked, remove half of the original juices. Sprinkle shredded raw scallions and white pepper over the fish. Heat the lard until smoking hot and drizzle it over the fish. Finish with a small amount of soy sauce to taste and serve immediately.
