Most of the week, there’s only two of us for dinner. I find it bittersweet to shop and cook for two—especially when missing family. Look on the bright side: This is the ideal time to celebrate with more pricey proteins, such as fish, and to work on certain kitchen techniques, such as steaming.
Enter our local restaurant’s version of steamed fish with shredded ginger and bok choy. This dish is the perfect dish for two: It ticks all the boxes for high protein, low fat, and bold flavor. Plus, I promised a cousin I would try to recreate it and send her the recipe.
At home, I seek advice from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, “Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking” by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo. The author of 11 cookbooks, Lo taught many of us about Asian ingredients, the basics of Chinese cooking, and the beauty of a well-written, expertly tested recipe. Her wonton and whole chicken soup just may be the best chicken soup of all time.
I regularly make up batches of her essential condiments: scallion oil, ginger pickle, and hot chile oil. These flavorful goodies enhance nearly any ordinary meal.
Ms. Lo tells us that steaming is a standard technique in Chinese cooking. She writes, “Steaming is, in every respect, a restorative process that makes foods glisten.”
Traditionally, Chinese cooks steam whole fish in large bamboo steamers set over boiling water in huge woks on top of a burner. Smaller fish, or portions of fish, can steam in a bowl with their seasonings set into the bamboo steamer.
These days, when cooking individual portions of fish, I prefer to use a microwave oven—a perfect steamer without the wait for boiling water. Marinated fish fillets, covered tightly to capture the steam and consequential flavor, cooks to perfection in less than 5 minutes.
For the marinade, a combination of soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and mirin seasons the fish deeply. A generous amount of finely shredded ginger adds kick and the unique freshness of ginger. A drizzle of homemade hot chile oil spices things up. Store-bought chile crisp makes a fine substitute.
In the recipe that follows, surround the steamed fish with briefly stir-fried vegetables, including readily available baby bok choy and relative newcomer tatsoi. Deep green, tender tatsoi is a member of the cabbage family with a mild, sweet taste. Another option is choy sum, aka choi sum or yu choy, another brassica family member. Seek out both these delicious greens at Asian produce markets at local farmers markets. Spinach and Swiss chard make fine substitutes.
Steamed Gingered Halibut With Soy and Cilantro
Makes 2 servings- 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce or black bean garlic sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine, mirin, dry sherry, or white vermouth
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
- 3 or 4 tablespoons peeled, finely sliced matchsticks of fresh ginger
- 1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 wild-caught Alaskan halibut, cod, or salmon fillets, 1 to 1 1/4 pounds total
- Stir-fried bok choy and tatsoi, see recipe
- 2 or 3 green onions, trimmed, cut into thin rounds
- 2 or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- Hot chile oil, see recipe, or bottled chile crisp
- Cooked white or brown rice, for serving
Set one portion of the fish in a shallow microwave-safe serving bowl. Pour half of the sauce over the fish. Repeat for the second piece of fish in a second dish. Let fish marinate on the counter for up to 30 minutes while you prepare the bok choy and tatsoi.
Cover the fish with plastic wrap vented at one corner or the lid of the dish if it has one. Microwave one fish at a time on high (100 percent power) until it nearly flakes easily with the tip of a knife, 3 to 4 minutes. Let stand covered and cook the second portion of the fish.
Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Tatsoi
Look for pale green baby bok choy and other tender Asian greens in specialty markets.- 1 medium head or 2 small heads baby bok choy (about 12 ounces total)
- 2 heads (10 ounces total) tatsoi or choy sum (or 4 cups baby spinach or sliced Swiss chard)
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 2 tablespoons peanut, safflower, grapeseed, or expeller pressed canola oil
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
- 2 or 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Hot Chile Oil
For the hot pepper flakes, try a blend of crushed red pepper flakes (the kind we love to sprinkle on pizza) with Korean gochugaru pepper flakes and crushed Mexican arbol chiles.- 1/4 cup crushed hot pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup grapeseed, safflower, expeller-pressed canola, or peanut oil
- 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
Stir in dark sesame oil. Store (chile flakes included) in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. The mixture will keep at room temperature for several days or several weeks in the refrigerator.
