Thai Steamed Fish with Lime and Chile

My friend Kenney turned me on to this recipe last week in Sarasota. I happened to have had a frozen whole striped bass in my freezer. I had all the ingredients but my bass was too long. So, I cut off the tail to fit it into my 10” diameter bamboo steamer.

I had never steamed a fish in this manner. It’s an easy step and I just had to find a plate that would fit inside the steamer making sure there was room around the plate to allow the steam to circulate. I used Italian pasta plate/bowl with a rounded lip so that the liquids would not simply pour over the edge.

I used a coffee bean grinder, the one I only use for whole spices and never coffee to make a kind of paste and then added some lime and fish sauce to create the garnish to cover the fish.

This dish is not difficult to make and sure you can use a different steamer than a bamboo one. Obviously, you need a steamer that will accommodate the size of fish you want to use and a pot to hold the water.

I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. It’s healthy and it’s delicious.  I do admit that I prefer whole fish to just fillets. The bones from the whole fish create a flavor and moistness that fillets can’t are not capable of duplicating. Yes, there may be pesky bones to deal with but I don’t have an issue with that.

Ingredients:

4 large garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp chopped cilantro stems plus leaves for garnish

1 tbsp chopped green Thai chiles

2 tbsp fresh lime juice, you might want to use more

2 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)

1 tbsp sugar

1 whole head on sea bass or rainbow trout, cleaned, scored to the bone on both sides in 1” intervals

2 tbsp chicken broth

1 lime cut into thin rounds

Cilantro for garnish

Rice of your choice.  I used long grain rice.

Prep:

In a clay mortar lightly pound garlic, clinatro stems and chiles with a wooden pestle until a coarse paste forms. I used the coffee grinder instead.

Add 2 tbsp lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and pepper; mix with a spoon to combine. Set aside.

Place fish on a plate that will fit inside the steamer to allow the steam to circulate and pour or spoon reserved paste/sauce over the fish.

In a pot put 1” water and bring to a boil. Transfer fish on plate to the steamer. Set steamer over pot and pour chicken broth over fish.

Cover and steam fish until cooked through 12 – 15 minutes. Test with a think knife for tenderness.

Using two large spatulas, transfer fish to a serving platter. Spoon juices from plate over fish. Drizzle with lime juice and garnish with lime slices and cilantro leaves.

Serve with rice.

For fabulo Italian imported olive oil or balsamic vinegar:

www.saporevitadella.com