In most Cantonese dishes, we like to have our fish as fresh as possible. That’s because most fish recipes are steamed with light soy sauce and almost no other seasonings. In Hong Kong, locals like to purchase fresh or chilled fish for that same reason. It is one of the classics of Hong Kong cuisine.
Did you know that the technologies used to preserve the freshness in frozen fish has improved over the years, such that they no longer give a fishy smell if you buy from the right sources?
Most of the prized fish like cod and salmon are blast-frozen at source immediately during harvest, to preserve the best taste and texture of the fish. Pristine fillets of these large fish make them the perfect delicacy when steamed to perfection, requiring no additional herbs or spices.
Cod is the god of fish in our view. They are flaky and packed with delicious and nutritious fish oil. The flesh of the fish are so thick and succulent, and it keeps you wanting more with every bite. With such a perfect ingredient, it is really hard to go wrong with any cooking style.
In this recipe share, we are following Chef Shanon Lim’s HK steamed Cod Fish recipe to test if we get the same fall apart flaky delicious cod fish when we try it. Let’s cook with us!
Ingredients:
- 1 fresh cod steak, about 1 inch thick
- 2 slices of ginger
- A dash of white pepper
For the Sauce:
- 1 tbsp of light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
For Garnishing:
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 spring onion (green part), sliced
Preparing the Cod
- Clean the cod steak thoroughly under running water and pat it dry with paper towels.
- Place the ginger slices in the middle of a heatproof steaming dish. Place the cod steak on top of the ginger slices.
Steaming the Cod
- Bring water to a boil in a steamer or a large wok fitted with a steaming rack over high heat.
- Once the water is boiling, place the steaming dish with the cod into the steamer. Cover and steam for 7 minutes.
Preparing the Sauce
- While the fish is steaming, combine the light soy sauce, rock sugar, water, and Shaoxing wine in a small pot. Heat over medium heat until the rock sugar is completely dissolved. Keep warm.
Preparing the Garlic Oil
- In a small pan, heat the cooking oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped garlic and fry until golden brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Remove from heat and set aside.
Final Touches
- After 7 minutes, check the doneness of the fish. It should be opaque and flaky. Remove the dish from the steamer and carefully pour away any liquid that has condensed on the dish.
- Sprinkle a dash of white pepper over the steamed cod steak.
- Pour the prepared sauce evenly over the fish.
- (Optional) Immediately pour the hot garlic oil over the fish. The sizzling oil will enhance the flavor.
- Garnish the fish with the golden-brown garlic and the spring onions. Serve immediately.
After we tried the recipe, the whole team enjoyed the cod thoroughly. Cooking it to perfection is not easy on the first try. We didn’t let the water in the wok boil long enough for a super hot steamy sauna, leading to a slightly longer time for cooking. Nevertheless, the cod was still wonderful, flavourful and flakey as expected.
Try this recipe and let us know what you think.
(Thank you for the recipe: Brought to you by honestcooking.com) Enjoy!
