Crammed Three Recipes In for the Best Steamed Fish
Referencing a recipe specifically for the type of fish that I purchased added an ingredient that brought the flavor to another level. In addition, I relied on two other tested recipes, one for the cooking method and another for the sauce. This combination produced my favorite result so far!
Below are some links to more details, including photos:
My Story
I’ve seen perch on sale at the local supermarket multiple times already and was curious how it could be cooked. After searching online, I found a simple recipe that looked good.
Inspiring Recipe
What I found was a recipe, Chinese Steamed Perch, from the site, A Daily Food. Not only are there recipes on this website, there are articles about Chinese food culture as well.
First Try
After reading the recipe, I decided to substitute the soy sauce (steamed fish) with a sauce that I made when I steamed a whole fish before to avoid buying a one-purpose soy sauce. In addition, since I hardly eat parsley, I skipped that as I didn’t want to waste the rest of the bunch.
Ingredients to Use
With 3.77 pounds of perch purchased, I used the following for the remaining ingredients:
Main
- 1 tablespoon + 3/4 teaspoon of Shaoxing (Shaohsing) wine
- 1/2 tablespoon + 1/3 teaspoon of salt
- 7 1/2 tablespoons of oil
- ~ 3.75 inches of ginger
- 2 scallions
Sauce substitution
- 3 ounces + 1 1/2 tablespoons + 1/3 teaspoon of light soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons + 1 1/8 teaspoons of sugar
- 3 1/2 tablespoons + 3/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon of water
- 3 1/2 tablespoons + 3/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon of cooking oil
Steps to Prepare
Since I already decided to skip Step 6 of the instructions, there were six other ones remaining. From those, I adjusted the following steps:
- Step 1 – Because I was working on another task, I ended up marinating the fish for another five minutes, for a total of 15.
- Step 3 – For the steaming process, I tried to incorporate some of the items in this recipe along with parts from when I steamed a fish in the oven and learned about the sauce substitute.
- In summary, I steamed the fish in foiled packets inside an oven preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. When I poked a chopstick in the fish after 25 minutes, it came out cleanly, so I took the pans out of the oven. Since I was multi-tasking, I ended up waiting five minutes before pouring the liquid out from the packets. Lastly, because the ginger and scallions were stuck to the bottom of the fish, I just left them there.
Time to Eat
I couldn’t wait to try the fish!
Recipe Rating
Below were the results of the recipe after the first try:
| Number of Ingredients | Effort (Low🤏, Medium🤏🤏, High🤏🤏🤏) | Cost per Serving (<$2💰, $2-5💰💰, >$5💰💰💰) | Taste (Not for me🤔, Trying Again🙂, Eating Regularly😋) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9️⃣* | 🤏 | 💰💰 | 🙂 |
I was happy to find that the perch wasn’t overly boney nor overcooked. Since the sauce was already tasty, marinating the fish ahead of time with wine added another level of delicious flavor.
Second Try
Because I had less fish during the second round, my main focus was getting the steam time right, so I wouldn’t overcook them.
Ingredients to Use
With 2.06 pounds of perch, I decreased the ingredients as compared to the first time, as shown below:
Main
- 1/2 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon of Shaoxing (Shaohsing) wine
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 4 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon of oil
- ~ 2.125 inches of ginger
- 1 scallion
Sauce substitution
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon of water
- 1/2 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon of cooking oil
Steps to Prepare
For the second batch, the only difference in the process as compared to the first round was in Step 3. I checked the fish for doneness after 20 minutes and ended up adding an extra two minutes for a total of 22 minutes. Also, I waited two minutes after removing the pans from the oven to pour the liquid out, as suggested by the original recipe.
Time to Eat
Since the perch were smaller this time, I transferred them to a plate without fear of breaking them apart.
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:
| Number of Ingredients | Effort (Low🤏, Medium🤏🤏, High🤏🤏🤏) | Cost per Serving (<$2💰, $2-5💰💰, >$5💰💰💰) | Taste (Not for me🤔, Trying Again🙂, Eating Regularly😋) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9️⃣* | 🤏 | 💰💰 | 🙂 |
The fish wasn’t overcooked, but could’ve been a little softer. However, there was less of the tasty sauce to go around this time for some reason.
Since fish cooks quickly, it can easily overcook, so I will try the following until I can perfect the process:
Continuous Improvement
- Track the ideal steam time for fish of different weights.
In my experience, steaming fish isn’t as forgiving as making other meats, e.g., chicken. As a result, I would like to share the following with my younger self:
Lesson for Dumber Self
- Steamed fish is a simple dish, but requires a lot of care in the cooking process in order for the meat to be tender.
What will you do now?
Next Step for You
- Try the recipe, Chinese Steamed Perch, from the site, A Daily Food?
- Share your tip on getting steamed fish cooked just right?
- Read another post on this site? (Go to the menu at the top of the page.)