You can create this simple – yet spectacular – and unbelievably affordable restaurant-quality dish.
Adelaide’s Finest chef Norman Thanakamonnun taps into his years of seafood cooking experience to share just how easy it is.
Steamed Whole Barramundi
Serves two with rice and steamed Asian greens.
Equipment:
Large bamboo steamer (available at both stores)
Ingredients
- 1 whole baby barramundi
- 100g ginger
- 1 bunch coriander
- 1 long red chilli
- 1 bunch spring onion
For the sauce:
- 1 tbspn dark soy
- ¼ cup light soy
- 1 tbspn sesame oil
- 3 tspns sugar
- pepper
To serve:
- 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
Method
- Boil water in a saucepan or wok on which the bamboo steamer can sit.
- Cut four slices from the outside of the ginger and insert in the barramundi’s cavity along with the whites of the spring onion, salt and pepper. Reserve the spring onion green tops for garnish.
- Drizzle the barramundi with sesame oil, sprinkle with pepper, place on a plate and sit in the steamer. Trim the tail to fit if needed.
- When the water is boiling, secure the steamer’s lid and place on top of the wok or saucepan for 12 minutes.
- While the fish steams, in a small saucepan heat the dark soy, light soy, sesame oil, sugar and pepper until boiling, then remove immediately from the heat.
- Meanwhile, peel the remaining ginger and slice into very thin batons. Slice the spring onion green tops into thin strips and slice the chilli on an angle.
- When the fish has one minute to cook, heat the oil in a medium frypan. Use tea towels to carefully remove the bamboo steamer from the heat, keep the fish on the plate, scatter generously with the sliced ginger and spring onion, then take extreme care to pour over the sizzling oil.
- Serve the fish on the cooking plate which has been garnished with chilli and coriander alongside steamed rice and steamed Asian greens.
