Steaming Cod Fish: A Beginner's Guide To Perfection

Steaming is a great way to cook cod, a mild-flavoured fish with a delicate texture. It's a simple, healthy, and tasty way to prepare this versatile fish, which is also delicious pan-fried, baked, or stir-fried. Steaming is a traditional Chinese cooking method that enhances the light flavour of the cod, and it's a popular choice in Cantonese cuisine. To steam cod, you'll need a steamer and a heat-proof dish. The fish is usually served with a soy sauce dressing and garnishes like fried garlic, ginger, and spring onions.

How to steam cod fish with soy sauce

Ingredients:

• 400-600g fresh cod fillet
• 4 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp chicken stock powder or granules
• 4 tbsp grapeseed oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips
• 1 stalk spring onion
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine)
• 1 tbsp black vinegar
• 2 tsp rock sugar
• 1 tbsp coriander root
• 3 tsp chicken stock powder

Method:

• Remove any remaining scales from the cod fillet and rub with salt all over. Rinse with water and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Rub cornstarch all over the fish and place it in a heat-proof steaming dish. Cover with cling wrap and set aside.
• Prepare the soy sauce dressing by washing and boiling the Chinese coriander with roots attached for about 15 minutes. Discard the coriander, add rock sugar to the water, and continue to simmer until the sugar dissolves. Add light and dark soy sauce and chicken stock powder, stirring to combine well. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed—add more sugar if too salty, or more water if the sauce is too thick. Bring back to a boil for a minute, then turn off the heat and set aside.
• Prepare the garlic-ginger flavoured oil by heating up the grapeseed oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and stir continuously until the garlic turns golden brown. Immediately remove the garlic from the oil and drain on a paper towel.
• Put the ginger strips into the oil and stir-fry until the edges turn golden brown. Remove the ginger from the oil and set the oil aside for later.
• Prepare your steamer by bringing the water to a rapid boil.
• Place the sliced ginger on the steaming dish and put the cod fish on top of the ginger.
• Steam the fish for 12-15 minutes, depending on the size of your fillet. Test for doneness by poking the fish with a fork—if the flesh flakes easily, it is ready.
• While the fish is steaming, shred the spring onion and soak it in water for 1-2 minutes until it curls up. Drain and set aside.
• Once the fish is cooked, drain any liquid from the dish and add the fried garlic, ginger strips, and shredded spring onion on top.
• Heat the garlic-ginger oil until very hot and drizzle 2-3 tbsp over the fish, followed by 2-3 tbsp of the special soy sauce.
• Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Tips:

• Adjust the steaming time based on the thickness of your cod fillet. For a 1-inch thick fillet, steam for about 10 minutes. If your fillet is thinner, reduce the cooking time by 2-3 minutes to avoid overcooking the fish.
• To enhance the flavour of the dish, you can marinate the cod fillet with salt and cooking wine for 10 minutes before steaming.
• For a spicy kick, add sliced red chilli peppers to the dish before steaming.

How to steam cod fish with wolfberries, scallions and ginger

Ingredients:

• 1 pc of cod fish (washed and patted dry)
• 10 pcs of ginger, 5 pcs sliced, 5 pcs cut into thin strips
• 4 stalks of scallions (bottom white part only)
• 1 tbsp wolfberries (washed over running water and drained dry)
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• Some scallions, diced
• Cooking oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Method:

• Heat up some cooking oil in a deep frying pan. Deep fry the ginger strips until golden brown and crispy. Drain and set aside.
• Place the sliced ginger and sectioned scallions (white part only) onto a steaming plate.
• Place the wolfberries all over the scallions and ginger, then place the cod fish on top.
• Add 1 tsp of sesame oil and rub it over the cod fish.
• Cover the steaming plate with cling wrap and steam over high heat for 10 minutes.
• Combine the light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and 1 tsp of rock sugar. Microwave this mixture for 1 minute to ensure the sugar melts. You can also cook it over a stovetop.
• Pour the seasoning all over the steamed cod fish.
• Serve with the crispy ginger strips and diced scallions. Serve immediately.

How long to steam cod fish for

Steaming is an excellent way to cook cod, as it preserves the nutrients in the fish. The time it takes to steam cod depends on the thickness of the fillet.

As a rule of thumb, a fillet that is 1-inch thick or more will take around 10 minutes to cook. If your fillet is thinner, reduce the cooking time by 2-3 minutes to avoid overcooking the fish. For example, a 0.5-inch fillet will take around 7 minutes to cook.

You can check if the fish is cooked by gently poking the fillet in the middle with a fork. If the fish flakes easily, it is done. If not, add another minute or two to the cooking time.

It is important to note that the cooking time may also depend on the size of your fish. For a larger fish, you may need to steam for up to 12 or even 15 minutes.

How to prepare cod fish for steaming

Preparing cod for steaming is a simple process, and a great way to cook this mild-flavoured fish. Here is a step-by-step guide:

Firstly, pat your cod fillets dry with a paper towel. This is an important step, as it will help the seasoning stick to the fish, and ensure the cod crisps up when cooked, rather than steaming.

Next, season the fish. You can simply sprinkle salt on both sides of the fillets and leave to cure for 10 minutes, or rub the fillets with cornstarch, as well as salt.

Now your fish is ready to steam. Place the cod on a steaming plate or dish. Many steamed cod recipes include sliced ginger, scallions, and other aromatics, which you can place on the steaming plate first, then lay the fish on top. Drizzle a small amount of sesame oil over the fish, and cover the plate with clingfilm.

Your steamer should now be ready to go, with water at a rapid boil. Place the plate of fish in the steamer and steam for 7-15 minutes, depending on the size of your fish. The fish is cooked when it is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

Once cooked, remove the fish from the steamer and pour away any liquid that has condensed on the plate. You can now add your chosen sauce and garnishes.

How to make a sauce to accompany steamed cod fish

There are several sauces that can accompany steamed cod fish. Here are some recipes and suggestions:

Soy Sauce

A popular option is to serve steamed cod with a soy sauce dressing. This can be made by adding light soy sauce, rock sugar, water, and cooking wine to a saucepan and heating the mixture until the sugar melts. This sauce can be drizzled over the fish, along with some garlic oil, and garnished with fried garlic and sliced spring onion.

Ginger and Scallion Sauce

Another classic Chinese sauce for steamed cod is a ginger and scallion sauce. This can be made by heating oil in a saucepan and pouring it over the aromatics (ginger, scallions, and red chillies) on top of the fish. The hot oil will cook the aromatics and release their fragrance.

Sauce Vierge

For a Mediterranean twist, steamed cod can be served with a light sauce such as sauce vierge. This is a good option if you are looking for a summery, light, and healthy dish.

Other Sauce Suggestions

Other sauces that pair well with cod include hollandaise sauce and garlic lemon butter sauce.

Frequently asked questions