Steamed Pompano
Steamed Pompano with soy-ginger sauce is an elegant and flavorful fish recipe. Delicate flavored pompano fish steamed with herbs and spices in a rich and tasty ginger soy sauce.
This pompano recipe is just one of the ways of cooking pompano fish. Some fry it while others make pinangat na pompano. With different cooking methods, steamed fish is probably one of the easiest way that also delivers great flavors.
I added an extra step of cooking some ginger and spring onion in a small amount of oil and pour it on the fish right before serving. You can skip this but I highly recommend that you try it. This Chinese-style process adds extra flavor and makes the dish more visually appealing.
Why Is Pompano Fish Great For Steaming?
The natural oil produced by steaming this kind of fish helps it stay moist even after cooking. It has a succulent taste and gets better with the soy-ginger sauce. Another reason why this recipe works well with this fish is because it’s so meaty with hardly any pin bones, earning the title “world’s most edible fish”.
What Fish Is Best For Steaming?
Aside from pompano, there are other types of fish that you can cook by steaming. Depending on availability, any delicate white-flesh fish is acceptable. Keep in mind to avoid firm and oily fish like mackerel or salmon but instead choose any of the following:
Notes On Some Ingredients
For the sauce:
Oil garnish:
How To Prepare The Fish
The good thing about pompano is that you don’t need to scale it. You do, however, need to remove the gut and gills. Remove guts buy making an incision on the belly of the fish approximately 2 inches long then scoop out the innards. When that is done, cut off the tail and fins so it will fit the steamer cooker.
Wash the fish inside and out then score the sides of the fish with at least two diagonal incision. This step is needed especially if you bought it frozen. If you plan on buying it fresh from the fish market, ask your friendly fishmonger to do it for you to save time.
Cooking Tips
Here are some cooking tips for ginger soy steamed pompano:
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Steamed Pompano
Ingredients
- 1 medium whole pompano fish (gut and gills removed, washed thoroughly)
- 1 thumb-sized ginger (julienned)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp black ground pepper
- 2 stalks green onion (chopped)
For the sauce
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Garnish
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 thumb-sized ginger (julienned)
- 2 stalks green onion (chopped)
Instructions
- Pour enough water in the steamer then turn on stove in low heat and place a heat proof plate on top of the steaming rack.
- Clean fish by removing gills and gut. Cut off fins and tail then wash thoroughly and drain to remove excess water.1 medium whole pompano fish
- Rub salt and pepper on sides of fish then stuff the belly with the julienned ginger and chopped garlic.1 thumb-sized ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tsp black ground pepper, 2 cloves garlic
- In a bowl, mix together the light soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar and sesame oil to make the soy sauce mixture.1/4 cup light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon white sugar, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sesame oil
- Place fish on the heat-proof plate in the steamer then pour the soy sauce mixture on the fish and plate.
- Sprinkle chopped green onions on top of fish and cover steamer with lid. Steam for 30 – 35 minutes in medium heat.2 stalks green onion
- Carefully remove plate with fish from from steamer with gloved hands. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat. When oil is hot enough add ginger strips and spring onion and cook for 2 minutes.2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 thumb-sized ginger, 2 stalks green onion
- Gently pour hot oil, ginger, and spring onions on top of the steamed fish. Serve and enjoy. Bon appetit!
