International dishesSteamed DishesChina1 hour marinating, 25 to 30 minutes steaming
Steamed red tilapia gives white, sweet flesh that takes on the soy sauce and the scent of ginger and spring onion. Pouring hot garlic and shallot oil over the skin is the step that gives the dish its aroma. The tricky part is the timing, since fish held too long turns mealy and breaks apart.
Push a toothpick into the body to check: the flesh does not cling to it and the juices no longer run red when the fish is done. Score 2 to 3 diagonal cuts along the body before marinating so the seasoning reaches the inside.
This batch weighs about 1.4kg, at roughly 104 calories per 100g.
Method
Remove the gills, scale and gut the 1kg red tilapia, taking care not to break the gall bladder. Wash it in dilute salt water to remove the slime, rinse again and drain. Score 2 to 3 diagonal cuts along the body.
Peel the shallot and garlic, crush and mince them. Peel the ginger and cut it into thin strips. Peel the onion and slice it into strips. Cut 30g spring onion and 30g cilantro into lengths.
Put the fish on a large plate and season with 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon minced shallot, rub it in and marinate for 1 hour.
Move the fish to a deep metal dish, pour the marinade over it and spread 1 tablespoon oyster sauce over the body.
Lay the onion, spring onion and ginger on top and steam for 25 to 30 minutes. Push a toothpick into the body: the flesh does not cling and the juices no longer run red when it is done.
Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil in a pan, fry the minced garlic and shallot until fragrant, season with 1/2 teaspoon seasoning powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stir and turn off the heat.
Pour the garlic and shallot oil evenly over the fish, sprinkle a little ground pepper and serve hot.
Tips
The method works just as well for carp, snakehead fish or grouper, depending on what the market has.
Scoring the body before marinating lets the seasoning reach all the way through.
Serve the fish as soon as the garlic and shallot oil goes on, as it turns fishy once it cools.
A few slices of ginger under the belly keep the underside of the fish out of the pooling liquid while it steams.
kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves slowly, so stir it into the soy sauce in a bowl and wait 5 minutes before pouring it over the fish.
The oil has to be very hot when it hits the skin, since warm oil never releases the aroma of the garlic and shallot.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.