Steamed Fish Fillets with Lime
Appetising, sour with perfect balance of sweetness and a hint of spiciness - this Steamed Fish Fillets with Lime is authentic and delicious. Fragrant with lemongrass and cilantro, mouth-watering with tangy, tasty gravy, these tender steamed fish fillets will be a hit for your dinner party, or even a usual weekday dinner.
Equipment
- Steamer
- Steam Clamp
Ingredients
- 1.5 L water
- 500 g fish fillets, seabass, thawed and deboned
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 stalk lemongrass, smashed
- 2 cilantro roots
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 150 ml water
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 7 cloves garlic, minced finely
- 8 pieces bird's eye chillies, chopped, mixed red and green
- 2 stalks cilantro leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp lime juice, squeezed and strained
- 2 pieces lime, optional, sliced thinly
Instructions
- Pour 1.5L of water into a steamer over high heat. Cover the pan and let it come to a rolling boil for about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Sprinkle the salt over the fish fillets and rub to marinate evenly.
- Place the crushed lemongrass and cilantro roots on the steaming plate. Arrange the fish fillets on the plate.
- When the water has come to a rolling boil, place the steaming plate into the steamer. Let it steam for 3 minutes.
- Mix 150ml of water, fish sauce and sugar until even in colour and most of the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
- After 3 minutes, carefully remove the plate from the pot with a steam clamp. Supporting the fish fillets with a spatula, pour out the fishy water and discard it.
- Carefully place the steaming plate back into the pot.
- Sprinkle the minced garlic and chopped chillies evenly around the plate. Pour the fish sauce mixture over the fish fillets, and spread the chopped cilantro leaves throughout the plate.
- Cover the steaming pot and steam for another 5 minutes.
- Switch off the heat. Pour 2 tbsp of lime juice evenly and carefully remove the plate from the pot with a steam clamp.
- Optionally, garnish with some lime slices and serve with white rice.
Notes
Tips
- I used seabass fillets for this recipe, but any white fish fillets will do.
- Adding smashed lemongrass and cilantro roots helps to absorb the fishy smell and introduces a lovely citrusy fragrance to the dish.
- Removing the released water when the fillets are half-cooked reduces the fishy smell and taste from the gravy.
- Not recommended to keep refrigerated or frozen after cooking as steamed fish lose their freshness rapidly, becoming stale easily overnight.
- Nutritional information does not include the servings of rice.
- Watch the video to see how I did it exactly!
Nutrition
Calories: 150kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 25gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 461mgPotassium: 350mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg
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