Need a fast, delicious and healthy dinner? Gourmet food from a microwave? You bet! This simple steamed fish is a winner, the flavorful sauce makes it special.
Simple Ginger Scented Steamed Fish. It's what's for dinner tonight. Added bonus: this one is quick! Dinner in 30 miuntes? Gourmet food from the Microwave? You bet.
As promised, I'm adding a new feature to the gourmet food column, called "What's for Dinner". If you should find yourself at 3 or 4 in the afternoon, in a bit of a panic, realizing you've no idea what you're going to have for dinner, you can pop over to my place. My place here at Suite101, that is for inspiration.
This recipe serves two and doubles easily. I'm lucky to have ogranic young ginger from Old Friends Farm in Amherst. It's so much more piquant and tender, not stringy like the old knobby stuff you often find in markets.
Ingredients you should have on hand:
- vegetable oil
- soy sauce
- white wine or rice vinegar
- sesame oil
- carrots
- rice
Ingredients you may have to pick up:
- 1 pound of fish fillets (tilapia, flounder, sole, snapper, something mild works best here)
- fresh gingerroot
- scallions
- snowpeas, sugar snap peas or green beans
- shitake or enoki mushrooms
Preparation:
Put rice on to cook. Wash, pat dry fish.
Julienne ginger root (about 1.5 inch piece), scallions, carrots, and snowpeas or sugar snap peas or green beans.
A glass baking dish or other microwave safe dish works best here. Arrange fillets in pie plate, cover with plastic wrap and microwave until done. If you're doubling up, don't layer the fish, just do it in two batches. Depending on thickness of fillets, and power of microwave, about 3-5 minutes should do. Don't overcook them!
When they're opaque, remove. Drain off the juices - careful they're hot. Let the fish rest, lightly tented. While you make the sauce.
Sauce:
In a microwave safe measuring cup or mug combine the ginger, scallion and veggies, 2 TBSP of oil. Microwave on high for a minute. Remove, add sesame oil, soy sauce to taste, red chili flakes or Chinese or Thai chili paste, as you wish.
If you're adding more veggies you may need to increase the oil by a tablespoon or two.
Serve over rice (if you're in a real hurry, you can always stop at your favorite Chinese restaurant and pick up a take out container of rice.)
Tips:
- Technique: This is similar to cooking in parchment paper in that the fish is cooked by steaming. Notice how little fat is added, both techniques are very healthy.
- Tip: Use Sustainable Fish Choices as often as you can. Download your free pocket guide at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Site here.
- Technique: "Julienne" means to slice very thin pieces, about the size of matchsticks. This promotes uniform, quick cooking. It also looks elegant.
- Technique: to easily peel ginger without losing the juicy flesh, simply invert a spoon and rub it against the tuber. The spoon will remove just the outermost papery skin.
- Timesaver: While you're julienning the veggies, why double up the chopping and then use the extra on your salad or in a sandwich or stir fry the next day.
- Variation: This simple recipe gives you a basic technique or two that you can vary. Why not use a heartier fish and go Provencal style - tomatoes, olives, onions or garlic would work. Vary the sauce by using olive oil in place of vegetable oil, omitting ginger, soy, sesame. Why not try a little garam masala (an Indian spice blend) and serve June Chua's spicy Indian cauliflower with it?
- Fresh herbs will also brighten this dish and add color. Cilantro for the Asian theme, basil, parsley for the Provencal.
- Technique: Planking or using cedar papers for this fish is another technique that would produce a flavorful and healthy fish dish.
Now, what else can you do with a glass pie plate? How about baking a pie? Okay, maybe not tonight, but you can do it!
