~ Steamed Cod Fillets ~
Steam fish is my favourite family recipe as it is an easy-peasy healthy meal for both the old and young in the family. It is a no-frills cooking that nourishes the body and satisfies the taste buds. Steaming is also a known fact for being the healthiest cooking method as it retains most food nutrients post-cooking. Therefore, a steam fish dish makes it twice a week to our family’s dinner menu.
The “critical success factor” to a good steam fish dish lies in the freshness of the fish. The fresher the fish, the better. No one likes that “fishy” smell! Fishes that do not meet the quality required for steaming, will be pan-fried instead. I got my tips on how to buy fresh fishes from http://www.wikihow.com/Buy-Fresh-Fish and advice from my mum with some personal experience at the supermarkets over the years. I do not get my fresh produce from the wet market as I do not like the fact that some, if not all of the stalls do not have price displayed on them. Hence, fish hunting at reputable supermarkets is my best bet.
Fishes that I frequently steam are cod fish fillets. Its texture is the easiest food for my little girl’s mouthfeel. My little girl started to feed on steamed fishes when she turned one year old. She is now 2 year 3 months old. As she had a series of teething issues, like any other toddlers her age making it difficult to feed on most food, steam fish makes a comfort food for her and for me to feel good as I am assured that she is consuming some “brain” food full of Omega 3 Fatty Acids.
Steaming with an AMC 24cm Roasting Pan unit on the Navigenio stove automatically ensures retention of food moist as the water droplets get circulated within the pot itself when cooked at an ideal temperature of less than 100°C. All aroma and taste of food retained makes the fish steaming process near to perfection, a perfect way to end an evening at home-sweet-home after a long day for both adults and children.
No more steaming on an additional dish on a tripod in a humongous wok/pot. Steam direct in an AMC pan for a more aromatic and piping hot steam gourmet!
Steamed Cod Fillet Recipe (Serves 3) :
Group A
- 2 Cod Fillet about 150 grams each (clean by running under filtered tap water)
- 1 inch chunk of Ginger (peeled & finely julienned)
- 50ml of Water
Group B – Sauce
- 1 teaspoon of Cooking Oil
- 1 teaspoon of Sesame Oil
- 2 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 inch chunk of Ginger (peeled & finely julienned)
- 2 stones of Rock Sugar (marble ball size)
- 1 tablespoons of Light Soy Sauce
- 50ml of Water
Group C – Garnshing
- 1 stalk of Chinese Celery (roughly chopped)
- 1 stalk of Spring Onion (cut into 1 ½ inch long & curly wispy strips)
- 1 tablespoon Goji Berries
AMC Healthy Cooking Method :
Steaming
- Place cleaned cod fish fillets directly into 24cm AMC 2.0 liter Pan Unit. Add water to the pan unit. Cover pan with lid.
- Switch on Navigenio to automatic “A”. Turn on Audiotherm on lid, indicating 80°C or “Carrot Window” and set 4 minutes to steam.
- When Audiotherm beeps, turn off both Navigenio & Audiotherm.
Garnishing Sauce
- While steaming fish, prepare fish gravy with 20cm AMC 2.3 liter Unit Shallow. Pre-heat pan unit (lid on) with Navigenio heat level, “level 3” up to 50°C or “Meat Window”. Activate Audiotherm on 50°C or “Meat Window” for readiness indication.
- When Audiotherm beeps, add cooking oil & sesame oil. Then add all Group B dry ingredients and gently stir to evenly brown. Add light soy sauce and water. Cover pot/pan unit with lid to simmer with Navigenio turned off.
- Pour fish gravy onto steamed fish and garnish with chinese celery and spring onion before serving.
Tips : All AMC pots and pans have an Accuthermic-Compact-Base, which is tightly welded to the stainless-steel pots/pans. Its body absorbs the smallest amount of heat very quickly. It stores heat like batteries, distributes them evenly over the whole surface of the base and keep food in the pots/pans warm longer than any bare serving plate. So, serve the steamed fish directly in the pan used and enjoy the dish warm till the end of the meal!
Group B ingredients for sauce preparation.
Chopped chinese celery for garnishing.
Place the fish in an AMC 24cm pan unit and top it with half of the julienned ginger.
Look how cool it is that all AMC pot and pan units’ lids can stand on the handles while I place the ingredients into the unit!
Automatic mode is turned on and a time is set for 4 minutes.
While the fish is being steamed, the sauce is prepared separately.
Cod fillets are ready after 4 minutes of steaming.
The sauce prepared is then poured onto the fish.
Garnish with chinese celery. (Note : Spring Onion garnish not shown in photo.)
The hot pan with steamed fish can be placed on top of the upturned lid, acting as a coastal, ready to be served.
Occasionally, I steam whole pomfret fish as an alternative. The same method and ingredients is replicated for any other steamed gourmet with some variation in the amount of ingredients. (Note: 1. Steam with Classic Lid – Carrot Window + 8 minutes. 2. Steam with Easy Quick Lid – Steam Window + 4 minutes. 3. Timing may vary depending on thickness of fish.)
Steamed Red Greasy Grouper with fried ginger strips & garlic. Instead of cooking them in the sauce, I fried and dished out before cooking the sauce. Just garnish the fried ginger strips and garlic when steam fish is done. Warms the tummies on a Monday evening!
20190717 Steamed Cod Fillet with red date slices & goji berries, garnished with crispy fried garlic & chinese parsley. The little girl who doesn’t eat red dates said she loves it.