Steamed Stuffed Fish

Steamed Stuffed Fish is a quick and easy whole fish dish that you can put together in a few minutes. It’s so delicious especially when dipped in a lemon – soy sauce -chili sauce. This dish goes extremely well with sides of steamed rice and vegetables.

This is a simple way to prepare whole fish, yet one that few Western cooks have mastered. In Philippine cuisine, a properly steamed fish is like a feast that everyone will enjoy. A perfectly steamed fish has flesh that is just cooked at the bone, not dry and typically the liquid in which it was steamed is discarded. Contrary to common belief, it doesn’t add flavors to a steamed fish dish. If any, it just leaves a bitter and fishy taste.

When steaming fish choose the variety that is meaty like cod or tilapia. I was planning to use fresh tilapia but didn’t have any, so I settled for Dorade. A Dorade when grilled or steamed has a rich, succulent, meaty flavor, similar to that of pompano or red snapper. Give this Filipino style of steaming fish a try and let us know! Bon appetit!

You might also like to try:

• Rich and Creamy Ginataang Mackerel
• Chinese-style Steamed Cod
• Pan-Fried Tilapia with Chili Sauce

The secret ingredient is always LOVE

Tips for Steamed Stuffed Fish

• When steaming fish the only way to go is using FRESH fish.
• Discard the fishy and cloudy fish “water” after steaming.

Steamed Stuffed Fish

Steamed Stuffed Fish is a quick and easy whole fish dish that you can put together in a few minutes. It's so delicious especially when dipped in a lemon – soy sauce -chili sauce.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Filipino

Keyword: dorade, steamed fish, steamed recipe, stuffed fish

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 whole fish

Calories:

Author: Mia

Ingredients

• 1 ½ kilo fresh dorade fish (2 medium-sized) (you can also use tilapia (cleaned and gutted))
• 1 large onion (sliced)
• 1 large tomato (chopped)
• 1 tbsp rock salt

For dipping sauce

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 red chili

Instructions

• Rinse the fish in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. With a knife, cut a slit diagonally near the fin. Season the fish inside and out with salt.
• Stuffed half of the chopped onion and tomato in one fish and the other half in the second fish.
• Place each fish on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Carefully seal all edges of the foil to form enclosed packets.
• Pour water into a wok or stockpot and set a steamer in the wok or on the rim of the stockpot. Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the steamer. Bring the water to a boil over high heat.
• Place the aluminum foil holding the fish in the steamer, cover, and steam for about 30 minutes.
• While the fish is steaming, in a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, lemon juice, and 1 chili. Set aside.
• Remove the fish from the steamer and place it on a plate. Carefully open the top of the aluminum foil and serve. Bon Appetit!

Notes

When steaming fish in aluminum foil you can brush the fish with some olive oil to avoid fish sticking to foil.

Most markets sell fish that have already been scaled and gutted. If a fish has not been cleaned, you can ask the fishmonger to clean it for you. 

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