Growing up half Vietnamese and half Chinese, many family dinners revolved around fish and vegetable dishes straight from the motherland. Mom’s creations were always simple, fresh and super delicious. She never had a recipe for any of them. Not one. They were all passed down through word of mouth and simple observation from my grandmother, my great-grandmother, and all previous generations before them. One of my all-time favorite dishes involved the steaming of catfish, with a sauce for dipping that was good enough to drink.
I remember years ago, while living in Chicago, I had dinner at a very popular, so-called “upscale French-Vietnamese restaurant”. I was already rather skeptical (and quite disturbed) upon entering what appeared to be a Hollywood set of Casablanca. All the diners even looked like actors pretending to eat. Perusing through the menu, I spotted their steamed fish and decided to give it a try. Besides being served on a small banana leaf, it tasted almost exactly the same as Mom’s. From that evening on, I knew what the term “French-Vietnamese restaurant” really meant. It meant being able to charge $40 for a dish that could be made for less than $10.
It was a good lesson learned. I still love steamed fish, and in particular, steamed halibut. And, I love my handy, dandy steamer. I truly couldn’t live without it. In less than 10 minutes flat, the fish is perfectly cooked and a healthy, delicious dinner is on the table. Thanks, Mom!
Steamed Halibut
Kiss My Spatula’s version of her Mom’s steamed catfish
Feel free to substitute the halibut for any flaky, white fish such as red snapper, catfish, cod or sea bass.
Music Pairing: Old Friends, Simon and Garfunkel, The Concert in Central Park
Ingredients
- 2 halibut steaks, 1-inch thick, skin removed (about 1 pound total)
- 2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2-3 tbsp thinly sliced ginger (more, if you are a ginger lover like me)
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
- handful of chopped cilantro
Method
Add 2-3 inches of water to the bottom of a steamer and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, place halibut steaks on a plate that fits inside the steamer. Lightly salt and pepper steaks. Combine soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper in a small bowl. Spoon sauce over halibut steaks. Get every last bit. Top with ginger and 1/2 of the scallions. Steam for 8-10 minutes, depending on thickness of halibut steak. Check water level occasionally during cooking to ensure steaming water does not evaporate fully. Add more boiling water if needed. Remove from steamer and top with reserved scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately with rice and a side of stir fried vegetables.
WOW, the fish looks so tender and succulent!
I am at loss for words because that fish looks so tender and so flavorful. I love that it’s simple too because it is always the simple dishes that taste best!
Sigh. This happened to me when I ordered a fish dish at a restaurant that I could’ve made at home :) And sometimes the simplest dishes are the best, which is why restaurants justify charging so much. I can’t wait to try making halibut sometime, especially steamed like this. My mom makes it this way too.
ah yes, the classic steamed fish dish. Always great to eat and you can feel yourself getting healthier with each bite.
Love it! Must buy fish to steam.
Dear Friend!
Greetings!
Great picture and recipe!
I loved it when you said that:
From that evening on, I knew what the term “French-Vietnamese restaurant” really meant. It meant being able to charge $40 for a dish that could be made for less than $10.
I’m afraid you are too right!LOL
Thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Robert-Gilles
http://shizuokagourmet.wordpress.com/
Gorgeous! I need to get a steamer!
I love any fish, stir fried, steamed, raw. The recipe is really good. Thanks for sharing.
Believe me when I tell you that I eat a whole lot of halibut. I think maybe I cooked it once en papillote, similar to steaming.
How much flavor does the sauce and aromatics impart to fish cooked in your method? Does it overcook quickly?
Fishing halibut in Cook Inlet for 4 days this coming weekend.
climbhighak – depending on the thickness of the steak, cooking time will vary a bit. steaming does indeed cook the fish very quickly, so you just want to keep a watchful eye on it (i set a timer) and check to make sure your steaming water does not evaporate fully. the fish will be infused with the flavors of the ginger, scallions, soy sauce and sesame oil. each bite is delicate, light and super flavorful. your upcoming trip sounds amazing. please do report back!
Smacking my lips! Smacking!
It’s hard to believe when I was a kid I absolutely hated fish. Only goes to show young kids don’t really know what they’re talking about =) Now I think I eat fish just about every day.
rabbittrick – ha, i hear ya. when i was little, though i loved fish, i could not tolerate ginger. the tiniest speck was picked out before i was willing to take a bite. :)
Tha’s really very good.In Portugal at Algarve, we eat it a lot.
Wonderful recipe! Being French; it’s hard to imagine a restaurant claiming to be ‘French-Vietnamese’, there’s something wrong here!
Not really, Mathilde.
Vietnam having been part of French Indochina until 1954, many of the Vietnamese diaspora still consider themselves as French.
But obviously, there are abuses, as witnessed in France by Vietnamese restaurants serving Chinese, Thai, Curry, Korean and Japanese food!
To cut a long story short some people should be reminded to show some honesty!
Bien amicalement, cheers,
Robert-Gilles
Do you use a bamboo steamer? I have heard that they can be hard to use because the food sticks. On the other hand, i have heard that they impart some nice flavor as well. thoughts?
thecornerbooth – i’m partial to aluminum steamers (photo in link above) since i grew up with them, think they are more versatile and easier to clean. to avoid stickiness, simply lay a piece of lettuce, cabbage, plate, etc. that the food rests upon. the flavors should be the same for either one!
Fantastic photo! This looks so light, but flavorful. It’s amazing how much flavor can be infused into a piece of fish by steaming it. Great recipe!
This looks soooo great! I love steamed fish, especially using the flavors in the ingredients you used for this dish. Beautiful photos, too!
Oh yum! I love steamed fish. I LOVE that steamer. Where did you get it?
fuji mama – i bought mine years and years ago in chinatown in san francisco. i’m sure any kitchen supply store in any chinatown would carry them.
wow. looks delicious & would be a perfect summer weeknight dish! thanks for sharing.
Oh this is one of my home favourites as well! It’s a classic Cantonese dish :)
I love easy & delicious looking dishes like this & I adore halibut! Lovely presented too! yummie all the way,…
Fantastic! I LOVE the flavor combo! Thanks for the recipe, I am definitely saving this one.
Great recipe. I just made something very similar a few weekends ago. One of my favorite ways to enjoy halibut.
Just discovered your beautiful blog–am going to have to try this fish prep method. Also, love that you have music suggestions. ‘Musical Pairings’ are a staple of my blog, eating/sf. Check it out!