Ingredients for cooking steamed lemon fish (Thai style)
This is a family favourite recipe that will take you 30 minutes end to end to prepare and cook. We have been making this dish for years and it’s always a hit with everyone in the family.
Fish is a great source of protein and preparing it at home is far more healthy, especially when steamed and affordable than eating it in a restaurant. A typical dish like this will set you back about $50 at a restaurant. Cooking it at home will cost you $10 depending on the price of fish at that time.
The spice or tangy level of this recipe can be adjusted to suit your family’s taste buds.
Basic ingredients
1 fresh sea bass about 600 g
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cm ginger (thinly sliced)
Tangy sauce ingredients
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp calamansi lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp caster sugar(or to taste)
1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
1 tbsp garlic (finely chopped)
3 bird’s eye chillies (chopped)
100 ml chicken stock
Garnishing for final dish
red chilli strips
coriander leaves
spring onions (chopped)
fried shallot crisps
Sliced limes
Instructions for cooking steamed lemon fish:
Clean the seabass fish and cut butterfly style.
Pat dry with paper towel. You want the fish to be slightly damp.
Then season with salt and pepper. We use pink salt for seasoning.
Place the fish on a heatproof plate that will fit in the wok, and place the ginger slices by the side of the fish and inside the cavity.
Place a rack in the wok and pour water in to halfway up.
Bring water to boil.
Steam the fish on high heat for 10 to 11 minutes.
Alternatively use a steamer
Remove and drain the liquid that has accumulated on the plate.
Combine the lemon sauce ingredients, stir to dissolve the sugar, and drizzle over the fish.
Steam again for one to two minutes.
Garnish the fish with red chilli, lemon slices, spring onion, coriander and shallot crisps.
Serve hot with a plate of rice and enjoy!
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: 4 people
Difficulty ranking: easy
