STEAMED FISH WITH GINGER AND SPRING ONIONS

Serves 4–6.

Preparation & cooking time: 25–30 mins.

Most restaurants offer either sea bass or Dover sole on their menu for this dish – neither is cheap, however delicious they might be. I suggest that you use a trout, grey mullet, lemon sole or whiting for this recipe.

1 whole fish (sea bass, trout or grey mullet, etc) weighing about 675g (1½lb), cleaned

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sesame oil

4 spring onions

2–3 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and shredded (optional)

50g (2oz) pork fillet, thinly shredded (optional)

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine

1 tablespoon thinly shredded fresh ginger root

2 tablespoons oil

Make sure the fish is scaled and gutted. Wash and dry it well both inside and out with a cloth or kitchen paper. Score both sides of the fish diagonally as far as the bone at intervals of 2.5cm (about 1″). Rub the salt and sesame oil inside and outside the fish, and place it on top of 2–3 spring onions on a platter.

Mix the mushrooms and pork (if using) with a little of the soy sauce and wine. Stuff about half of this mixture inside the fish and place the rest on topwith the ginger. Place the platter in a hot steamer and steam over a high heat for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, thinly shred the remaining spring onions. Heat the oil in a little saucepan until bubbling. Remove the fish from the steamer, arrange the spring onion shreds on top, pour the remaining soy sauce and wine over it, then pour the hot oil over the whole length of the fish. Serve hot.

hancheng

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