Skip to content

How to Make Steamed Mandarin Fish

Finished Steamed Mandarin Fish

The Mandarin fish can be called the king of freshwater fish. It has a delicious taste. As the saying goes, high-end ingredients only need the simplest cooking methods. Steaming best brings out the freshness of the Mandarin fish.

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★

Essential Ingredients and Tools

  • Mandarin fish
  • Green onion (large)
  • Scallion (small)
  • Light soy sauce
  • Red chili pepper
  • Ginger slices
  • Cooking oil

Calculation

Per serving (serves about 2):

  • Mandarin fish 500g
  • Green onion (large) 1 segment
  • Scallion (small) 2 stalks
  • Light soy sauce 30g
  • Red chili pepper 1 piece
  • Ginger slices 3 pieces
  • Cooking oil 20ml

Instructions

  1. Ingredient Preparation:
  2. Cut the Mandarin fish from the belly, remove the gills and entrails, scrape off the scales, and use a knife to scrape off the slime on the skin (this step can also be handled by a helpful vendor).
  3. Make diagonal cuts on the Mandarin fish, place ginger slices on top. If available, add a bit of lard. Place the fish on a plate with chopsticks underneath to ensure even heating during steaming.
  4. Split the green onion lengthwise, remove the inner core, and keep only the outer two layers.
  5. Split the scallions and set aside.
  6. Remove the seeds and inner flesh of the red chili pepper and set aside.

  7. Arrange the prepared green onion, scallions, and chili pepper together, slice them into thin strips, and soak them in water to set aside.

  8. Cooking Process:

  9. Add water to the steamer, ensuring there is plenty of water. Once the water is hot, place the Mandarin fish inside, cover with the lid, and steam on high heat for 8-10 minutes. The key to steaming fish is: abundant steam and high heat.
  10. While the fish is steaming, heat another pot of cooking oil until it starts to smoke.
  11. After steaming is complete, discard the water from the steaming process, remove the ginger slices, place the scallion strips on top of the fish, and pour the hot oil over them.
  12. Finally, pour light soy sauce or steamed fish soy sauce over the fish and serve.

Additional Notes

  • Precautions:
  • The dorsal fin of the Mandarin fish can be sharp and cause injury. Be careful when handling it, and it is best to cut it off with scissors.
  • The steaming time should be adjusted according to the size of the fish. The key to steaming fish is having plenty of water, abundant steam, and high heat.

If you find any issues or have suggestions for improvement while following this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull request.