Steamed Sea Bass with Preserved Lemon, by Fuchsia Dunlop
by Fuchsia Dunlop
-
Easy
Salted lemon or lime is a Cantonese preserve, particularly favoured in the Chiuchow region. It adds a captivating salt-citrus note to stews, steamed dishes and various drinks. This recipe is a homage to the steamed fish jaws with Cantonese salted lemon that seduced me on a recent visit to the Chairman restaurant in Hong Kong.
At home, I sought to recreate the flavours with sea bass and Moroccan salted lemons, which are easier to find in the west. The result was incredible: a classic Cantonese steamed fish finished with soy sauce and sizzling oil but with sublime high notes of lemon and dill. The cooking juices are glorious as they seep into rice. You’ll need a large (preferably bamboo) steamer, with a plate that will fit in the basket, deep enough to hold any juices. I usually place a few lengths of spring onion beneath the fish. Once, I used halved chicory hearts instead, and they were so ambrosial that I’ve sometimes repeated this trick! The recipe also works beautifully with sea bream. Similar flavours would shine with steamed scallops or raw oysters.
For Steamed Sea Bass with Preserved Lemon
- 1 sea bass (about 800g), scaled and gutted, head and tail intact
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- ½ tsp salt
- 20g piece of ginger, skin on
- 6 spring onions
- 1½ Cantonese or Moroccan salt-preserved lemons
- 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic or 2 tsp bought deep-fried garlic
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1–2 tbsp chopped dill fronds
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
How To Make
- Make 4 or 5 diagonal slashes into each side of the fish, to allow the flavours to penetrate. (Unless you are using a huge steamer, you may need to halve the fish and steam the pieces side by side: see page 341.) Place the fish on a plate that will fit into your steamer and rub inside and out with the Shaoxing wine and salt. Use the flat of a cleaver blade or a rolling pin to smack the ginger and 1 spring onion to loosen, then cut in half and tuck inside the fish. Set aside.
- Trim 4 of the remaining spring onions and cut each into three evenly sized lengths, then lengthways into fine slivers. Halve the lemons; scrape out and retain the pulp, discarding the pips. Cut the peel into slivers. If you’re using raw garlic, gently fry it in 1 tablespoon of oil until crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
- Pour off any juices that have emerged from the fish, but leave the spring onion and ginger inside. Smack the remaining spring onion to loosen it, then cut in half and lay the halves under the fish (they will raise it slightly so it doesn’t stick). Place the lemon pulp inside the fish. Sprinkle over the fried garlic and lemon peel.
- Place the plate in the steamer and steam over high heat for 10–12 minutes, until the thick flesh behind the head slides easily from the backbone when nudged with a chopstick. Lift the fish on to a serving plate if you wish, reassembling the halves if necessary. Spoon over the cooking juices and the soy sauce. Lay the slivered spring onions down the fish, and scatter over the dill to taste.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of cooking oil over high heat until it is hot enough to produce a dramatic sizzle when dripped on to the spring onions. Spoon the hot oil all over the fish.
- Serve.
About the author
Fuchsia Charlotte Dunlop is an English writer and cook who specialises in Chinese cuisine, especially Sichuan cuisine. She is the author of seven books, including the autobiographical Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper.
