Steamed Whole Tilapia
Scored, seasoned and cooked with a generous amoung to scallions and ginger, steamed whole tilapia is aromatic and tasty. Cooks in 20 minutes flat.
Ingredients
- 1 tilapia, about 400 grams, gutted and scales removed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 stalks scallions
- 1 two-inch knob ginger, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions
- 2 bird’s eye chilies, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Fill the steamer pot with enough water to reach a depth of two inches and start heating it.
- Wipe the tilapia with paper towels and score both sides.
- Rub the salt and pepper on the entire fish including the cavity.
- Tie the scallion stalks into a knot.
- Stuff the cavity of the fish with the knotted scallions and half of the ginger.
- Lay the tilapia in shallow heat-proof bowl.
- Scatter the sliced scallions, remaining ginger and chilies over the fish.
- When the water is boiling briskly, lay the bowl in the steamer basket and cover the steamer.
- Turn the heat to medium and steam the tilapia for 20 minutes.
- Carefully lift the bowl from the steamer basket and serve the steamed whole tilapia immediately.
Notes
If using a metal steamer and the lid isn’t or is only slightly domed, evaporation may fall into the fish and create a small pool of liquid around it.
If you want to minimize the amount of liquid, tie a tea towel around the steamer lid, covering the underside, to catch the evaporation. Alternatively, stretch a tea towel over the steamer basket before putting on the lid. Be careful though to make sure that the tea towel does not touch the fish.
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