Whole Fish with Ginger and Scallions
- Coarse salt
- 1 cup short-grain white rice
- 2 whole cleaned fish such as red snapper or small sea bass, each 1 1/2 to 2 pounds
- 1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (eyeball it)
- 1 bunch of scallions, cut into 3-inch pieces then thinly shredded into thin sticks
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup tamari (dark aged soy sauce, found on the international aisle)
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
- Add salt and the rice.
- When the water returns to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot.
- Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.
- Set aside.
- Place a steamer rack in a wok over a few inches of water.
- To make your own steamer, place a few inches of water in a deep skillet.
- Set a small bowl, inverted, into the water and use it as a pedestal.
- Bring the water to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Clean the fish under running water, making sure the inside cavity is completely clean.
- Cut off any fins left on the fish.
- Score the skin with a sharp knife, making 3 or 4 cuts into the skin along the side of the fish.
- Pat the fish dry inside and out and place half of the ginger in the cavity of each fish.
- Arrange the 2 fish on a plate and set the plate on the steamer rack or on top of the inverted bowl.
- Cover the pan and steam the fish until opaque and white, about 10 to 12 minutes for 2 whole fish, 8 to 10 for 1 fish.
- The ginger flavor will permeate the fish as it cooks.
- Remove the fish to a heat-proof platter.
- Heat the oil in a small pot until it smokes.
- Top the cooked fish with piles of shredded scallions.
- Pour a few tablespoons of tamari over the fish and scallions, then carefully drizzle on the hot oil.
- It will crackle and sizzle as it hits the scallions and the skin of the fish.
- Carefully lift the fish off of the bones and serve the meat with the white rice.
salt, shortgrain white rice, red snapper, ginger, vegetable oil, scallions, tamari
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/whole-fish-with-ginger-and-scallions-374276 (may not work)