Cá hấp gừng
Ginger steamed whole fish
Cá hấp gừng: Vietnamese whole fish steamed with ginger and spring onion, finished with hot oil and soy
Cá hấp gừng is a family dish across Vietnam, from Hanoi to the Mekong Delta, put in the middle of the table for a weekend lunch or a Tết dinner and shared with rice and greens. A whole fish is steamed over ginger, then heaped with ginger and spring onion shreds and dressed with sizzling oil and a light soy and fish sauce. The flesh comes out silky and delicate. A portion has about 25 g of protein from the fish. The common mistake is oversteaming: thin parts go dry and woolly. Take it off as soon as the flesh at the thickest point pulls cleanly from the bone. Chef's tip: score the fish to the bone on both sides so it cooks evenly and the sauce gets in.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 whole sea bass or snapperabout 500 g each, scaled and gutted
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 ⅛ in gingerhalf sliced, half cut into fine shreds
- 6 spring onionswhite parts in lengths, greens in fine shreds
- 1 red chillifinely shredded
- 1 small handful coriander
For the sauce
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp hot water
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (4)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Pat 2 whole sea bass or snapper dry and cut 3 slashes down to the bone on each side. Rub inside and out with 1 tsp salt.
Step 2: Lay the sliced half of 3 ⅛ in ginger and the white parts of 6 spring onions on a heatproof plate that fits your steamer, and put the fish on top so steam can circulate underneath.
Step 3: Steam over rapidly boiling water, covered, for 10–12 minutes. It is done when the flesh at the thickest slash is opaque and lifts cleanly from the bone.
12 minStep 4: Meanwhile, stir 3 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar and 3 tbsp hot water together until the sugar dissolves.
Step 5: Pour off the cloudy steaming liquid from the plate. Pile the shredded ginger, spring onion greens and 1 red chilli over the fish.
Step 6: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a small pan until it shimmers and just begins to smoke, then pour it over the shreds so they sizzle. Spoon the sauce around the fish, scatter with 1 small handful coriander and serve at once.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 25 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cá hấp gừng take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
- What can I use instead of red chilli?
- Green chilli, same amount (same heat, greener taste).
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