Steamed Fish, Asian Style

I grew up eating fish whole, on the bone. Small fish, like tilapia or galunggong (mackarel scad), simply fried and eaten with soy sauce or vinegar. Bigger fish, like lapu lapu (grouper) or apahap (sea bass), baked or steamed for special occasions. Oh sure, we also had fish in fillets and steaks (fillets I like, but I mysteriously cannot abide by steak cut fish), but there was something special about having a whole fish. To this day I prefer whole fish over fillets and other cuts.

I love the simple perfection of a fish rubbed with salt and then fried exactly right, the outside and edges crisp, the inside tender and moist, eaten hot and with my hands. Maybe with a dipping sauce of vinegar with just a touch of soy and some crushed bird’s eye chilies…or maybe not. I work through it precisely but slowly, savoring every bite, missing nothing. When I’m done there is nothing left but a pile of clean bones that not even a skilled cat could get more out of.

This is another wonderful way to have whole fish. Healthier too, but no less delicious :)

Steamed Fish, Asian Style

• One whole 3/4-kilo (approx) Bisugo (threadfin bream), Maliputo, or Lapu-lapu (garoupa), scaled and gutted
• 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
• Half a lemon, sliced
• 1 white onion, sliced
• 2 stalks of lemongrass, white and light green parts only, sliced
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced on the diagonal
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• Optional: 1 cilantro root (if the bunch of cilantro you use has them, and it should)
• 1-2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3-4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoons sesame oil

- Line a bamboo steamer with parchment so it comes up over the sides. Line the parchment with the onion slices, some ginger slices, and one slice of lemon. Lay your fish on top of these aromatics. Stuff the inside of the fish (inside the belly as well as inside the head) with most of the remaining ginger and lemon, lemongrass, some of the leeks, a few stalks of cilantro, and cilantro root. Top the fish with any ginger and lemon you have left, the rest of the leeks, and the most of the cilantro (saving a few stalks to garnish fresh once the fish is cooked). Top everything with the soy sauce, fish sauce, and sesame oil. I’ve made the amounts above flexible as this really depends on your taste and the size of your fish. Fold sides of parchment over the fish – it doesn’t have to cover it completely – and cover.
- While you are arranging your fish, fill a wok with enough water not to touch the steamer when you lay it inside. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower to a fast simmer.
- When the fish is ready and the water in the wok is at a fast simmer, carefully place steamer on the wok.
- Steam fish for about 20 minutes. You may need more or less time depending on the size of your fish so check for doneness before taking it off the heat. Simply open the steamer (carefully! Steam burns!), and insert a small knife into the fleshiest part of the fish – if it flakes easily it’s done.
- Turn of the heat and remove the bamboo steamer from the wok – do this carefully with your hands protected as very hot steam will escape when you lift the steamer from the wok. Place the steamer on a plate and serve directly! Tear the remaining cilantro over the newly cooked fish.

This is my basic framework for our favorite Asian-style steamed fish. The fish stays moist and the aromatics infuse it with their crisp, fresh flavors. The soy, fish sauce, and sesame oil pool below the fish where the onions have gone all melty to make a delicious sauce. This recipe is adaptable and forgiving. Add, take away, or replace some of the herbs as you like (not everyone is a cilantro junkie like me I suppose) or as available (I’m going to try a version with Kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil next!). Use your favorite fish or try a new one from the market. Fillets would work here as well, although I implore you to try this with fresh whole fish as there is really nothing quite like it!

Not Just Vegetable Soup

A number of you have commented that you wouldn’t mind seeing more of what I’m feeding little C. Although I seriously doubt the interest in preparing limited ingredient, zero-seasoned dishes, it is heartening to see such concern in what we put into our little ones. And really, although I was advised otherwise, making your own baby food isn’t as difficult or as complicated as it may at first seem.

After the first months of solids (which shouldn’t really be called solids at all since most of the food is mushed!) I was given the green light for chunkier foods. “Yay!” I thought. Finally some change of pace. I decided to make little C’s very first vegetable soup.

No fixed recipe for this but here is what I did (more or less): I peeled and chopped 1 small carrot, 1 small potato, and added some chopped butternut squash (roughly the same amount as the carrot). Place everything in a saucepan with 1 sprig of parsley (tied in a knot) and a finger-sized rib of celery. Add water until just covered. Bring to a boil and then simmer until vegetables are soft (soft enough to be mashed easily with a fork or baby gums). Add a couple of heaping tablespoons of cooked rice and simmer until heated through. Discard parsley and celery. Allow to cool to a baby-comfortable temperature before serving (you can do this quickly with an ice bath – place some of the soup in a bowl and place the bowl in a bigger bowl with ice water). Depending on the age and teeth-situation of your baby you can mash the veggies roughly or finely with a fork.

The soup is quite versatile in such that you can use whatever vegetables your little one (or you) prefer. If you have frozen pureed veggies that you haven’t used yet you can mix them into this at the last moment. It goes especially well with pureed broccoli (which adds a touch of green and reminds me a bit of minestrone with pesto). You can make this soupier if you wish but I keep it fairly chunky as it acts more like a main meal than an actual soup.

Little C loved this and I think this may become one of her favorites (along with yogurt and avocado)! And, not one to feed people something I wouldn’t eat myself, I had a (very restorative) bowl of this drizzled with some extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper…basic, comforting, and delicious. I’m sure it would be even better with some grated parmesan cheese on top…something that little C will be trying once I get the go-ahead for cheese!

Have I bored you with all this intense blathering about what is essentially some boiled vegetables? But this isn’t just vegetable soup you see…it’s a stepping stone to that meal of foie gras, oysters, and chocolate tart that I promised little C we would have when she becomes a “big girl” ;) All in good time my sweet girl!

p.s. If you haven't already noticed, I've done a little fixing up here :) After 5 years (!!) with the same blogger template, I think we can all agree that some changes were in order. Nothing major league here -- this is still a blogger template (and until I can find a cute html geek who will work for cookies, blogger templates are all I can aspire to) -- but it's nice to have a change of scenery! High time too! :)

Lemon Garlic Squid

This may sound strange but…I don’t like squid. An abruptly sweeping announcement coming from someone who prides herself on being a rabid omnivore, but there you have it. We all have our idiosyncrasies I suppose. Squid and “loose” mince being mine (I have an unexplainable aversion to mince if not shaped into a ball, patty, or loaf -- meaning I eat neither this nor this, not matter how much my family loves them). But this blog post has room for only one eccentricity so let’s save mince for another time.

So…squid. I can’t really put my finger on why or when this bête noire started. I am guessing though that is has something (a great big something) to do with how easily squid can be bungled. Err a little in judgment and you’ve got tough pieces of rubber on your plate. In fact, there is only one squid dish in this whole city that I will voluntarily order. This may seem, actually is, grossly unfair – to lump all squid for all time just because of that reason, which is no fault of the poor cephalopod – so I’ve been working towards being on friendlier terms with them.

Two things, I think, brought about my, I wouldn’t say conversion, but my willingness to explore the world of squid further. The first was tasting one fresh out of the water, raw, still with a luminous translucence – such soft sweetness, with a hint of the sea where it was swimming just moments before. The other was actually preparing them for our first paella – compared to deveining shrimp and gutting fish, cleaning squid was so easy and clean (if you are careful with the ink sack that is)!

Now all I needed was a way to prepare them that wouldn’t send me back into my squid averse days…

Lemon Garlic Squid

• Olive oil
• 300 grams squid
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 1 lemon, sliced in half
• Sea salt

- Prepare the squid. I like to clean and prep my squid like Jamie Oliver does his. I do it as for grilling /frying , but then cut it into strips. It never comes out quite as expertly as his does, I really do need to brush up on my scoring skills, but I stubbornly insist on trying. Of course, you can prepare them however you wish and that will do just fine and I promise not to tell Jamie.
- Heat a couple of generous swirls of olive oil in a skillet. You want a nice thin layer of oil that lines the bottom of the pan.
- When the oil is hot add the garlic and let this sizzle for a bit – let the garlic soften but not get too toasted.
- Add the squid and let them cook, while shaking the pan back and forth (yes, like they do on tv…it feels fantastic!), until opaque and curled. This happens in under a minute so watch it! Do not overcook the squid or you will end up with sad bits of rubber.
- When the squid just starts to curl toss in the parsley, some salt, and keep shaking (the pan, not you…although you can go ahead and shimmy along if the mood takes you).
- As soon as the squid is done, right after it’s gone opaque and curly, take it off the heat and squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Swirl the pan as the lemon juice sizzles to mix. Check and adjust seasoning. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top.
- Serve immediately with the other half of the lemon for anyone who would like a squeeze or two more.

If you pay attention not to overcook this, which is not a difficult thing to do, I think this is an ideal dish to try your hand at squid cooking. Fast, easy (oh-so easy!), and delicious. The flavors are simple and clean and complement the squid nicely without overpowering it. Once you’re done with prepping your squid the whole thing comes together in mere seconds. This is perfect with some crusty bread to mop up the juices. You can also toss it with pasta for a light, bright, summery lunch. If you’d like some spice, add a chili or some chili flakes to the pan when you do the garlic.

I love it when I am able to conquer a food I once had issues with. Feels like opening a whole new pathway of discovery. Squid, here I come! :)