A classic, simple Cantonese staple
Duck Duck Goose’s steamed bream with ginger and spring onions
Oli Brown of Duck Duck Goose says: “We specialise in Cantonese-roasted meats, production of which is a labour of love. The food of Guandong, like many cuisines, has varying difficulty levels. This steamed fish with ginger and spring onions is a classic simple staple and perhaps defines the true purity and ingenuity of Cantonese cookery, I never get bored by it. A steamer is essential to cook this dish. It’s possible to construct a makeshift one, better to just nip to the pound shop.
Ingredients
Whole bream, 500g fish scaled, gutted and trimmed (your fishmonger can do this for you)
50g ginger
3 spring onions
70ml Lee Kum Kee Seasoned Soy Sauce
1tsp caster sugar
20ml Sesame oil
60ml vegetable oil
Method
Gently warm the soy with the caster sugar until it has dissolved, whisk in the sesame oil, set aside for later.
Peel the ginger and cut into very fine ribbons.
Wash your spring onions and slice in into very fine ribbons (similar to the ginger)
Place the ginger neatly along the skin of your fish, facing upwards. Do the same with the spring onions.
Place the fish in steamer – a fish of this size at a constant rolling boil will take approximately 15 minutes (the easiest way to tell is gently press your finger against the flesh and, if it gives way easily, it’s cooked)
Remove from the steamer and place on a serving dish.
Dress with the soy sauce.
Heat the remaining veg oil until smoking hot and pour over the ginger and onions atop the fish. A loud sear and sizzle is a good thing.
Serve immediately with Choi sum and steamed rice (Ken Hom’s rice recipe seems to be foolproof).
Pop Brixton, SW9 8PQ | duckduckgooselondon.com | @ddglondon
