Steamed Fish with Ginger & Scallion

Prepare the fish: remove the belly fat and scrape any dried blood from the bones. Rinse the fish thoroughly inside and out, then pat it dry. Cut off the side fins and make a long cut along the back, then place the fish in a steamer dish.

Prepare the aromatics: julienne half the ginger into fine strips and set aside. Cut the green onions into 3 segments, reserving the green tops. Thinly slice the remaining ginger, halve those slices, and lay them along the fish from head to tail. Cut the white and middle green-onion parts lengthwise into fine strips. Lay the reserved green tops under the fish, and wash the cilantro.

Make the sauce: in a bowl, mix together the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, white pepper, water, sugar, and salt.

Bring the water in your steamer to a boil. When it boils, place the fish dish on the rack, cover, and steam over high heat for 12 minutes (10 minutes for a smaller fish). The eyes turning white indicates the fish is done. Remove the dish, pour off the juices, and discard the ginger slices.

Top the fish with the finely julienned ginger and the green-onion strips. Heat the oil over high heat for about 1 minute until it shimmers, then carefully pour it over the fish to release the aromatics.

Drizzle the sesame oil and the prepared sauce over the fish, garnish with the cilantro, and serve.