Preparation time: 40 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
Serves: 4
Description
My good friend Hai cooked this dish for me yesterday...thought it was simple and really great...Beer and fish in steamer! what a combo! I particularly like this Vietnamese way of boosting the flavor of fish by including some pork belly as an ingredient.
Ingredients
- 1.5kg fresh whole white fleshed fish (eg deep sea perch, bream, snapper, mullet)
- 100g pork belly
- 1/2 bunch spring onion, washed and cut in sections
- 1 small knob ginger, cut in strips (julienne)
- 4 dried shitake mushrooms (from any asian general grocery), soaked and cut in strips
- 4 chillies, washed and cut in strips
- 1/4 bunch dill, washed and cut up
- 6 bottles of your favorite beer (well you only need 150ml for cooking..just drink the rest!)
- Seasoning: Soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, salt
Method
- De-gut, scale and clean the fish thoroughly, esp inside the fish
- Cut pork belly across the fat into thin pieces and fry in a pan until browned (make sure the pan is HOT)
- Season the mushrooms with some soy sauce
- Place fish on sufficiently large plate, and rub a little salt and sugar inside the fish stomach
- Place remaining ingredients evenly over, under and inside the fish stomach
- Lastly season with a dash of soy sauce, fish sauce (optional) and pour the 150ml beer over fish
- Sprinkle 1tsp salt and sugar evenly over top of fish
- Steam the entire dish for 20-25 mins on high heat keeping the lid tightly closed during this time (my nan always tells me to “stop LIFTING THE LID of the fish”!!)
- The fish is presented whole and is divided at the dinner table..
Enjoy… and thanks Hai for cooking for me yesterday : )