Steamed pompano with ginger sauce
Can any dish be simpler to cook than steamed whole fish? The only real work involved is the preparation. After that, just place the fish in the steamer and leave it to cook for 30 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the fish. No stirring, no nothing. Very few utensils to wash. And, unlike fried whole fish, no oil splatters to clean up afterwards.
I love steamed whole fish. But not all kinds of fish are good for steaming. My top preferences are tilapia and pompano and both are available all-year round in wet markets. Tilapia can either be saltwater or freshwater; pompano is either dark gray or silver. The dark dray pompano is the common variety. The silver pompano, or mestiza, is something I don’t see too often. In fact, it wasn’t until a few months ago that I became aware that there is pompano other than the dark gray variety.
Why is pompano great for steaming? Because the flesh contains enough oil to make it moist and soft.
Most of my friends who cook think that commercial broth cubes are an essential ingredient of steamed whole fish. I beg to disagree. Using broth cubes takes the control out of the cook because you’re stuck with the flavors in the broth cubes. Worse, the MSG content of broth cubes kill the natural flavors of the fish and who the heck wants that? Might as well eat canned fish.
This is not exactly a new recipe. You can check out my older steamed whole fish recipes for comparison.
What’s new here is the use of bottled ginger sauce from Shuin. The ginger sauce was recommended for siomai. When mixed with soy sauce and sesame seed oil, you have a wonderful dipping sauce that makes you feel like you’re eating in an authentic Chinese restaurant even when you’re enjoying the siomai at home.
If you have fresh ginger available, I recommend that you use grated ginger instead of bottled ginger sauce. I used sliced or julienned ginger in the past but after this experiment with the bottled ginger sauce, I am convinced that grating fresh ginger and mixing it with soy sauce and sesame seed oil will yield a more flavorful steamed fish than one that has sliced ginger in it. Grating squeezes out the juices from the ginger and the ginger juice will permeate the fish flesh better.
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I have a variation of this recipe. After cleaning the whole fish, I rub the fish with ginger to remove the “langsa”. There is in Rustans, a plastic microwaveable gadget for steaming fish in the microwave (one for chicken is also available). It has a raised plastic rack for the fish. I put water under the rack so that it really steams the fish. Microwave for seven minutes. Meanwhile, heat sesame oil until brown and add two tablespoons of kikoman. After steaming, take the fish broth and add to the sesame-kikoman sauce. Add the cilantro and garlic bits. When the grandkids are around, I put a little sugar.
I wonder if this “sauce” mix will work also in a tilapia (or red snapper) wrapped in foil then grilled. I might try it soon. I’ll tell you how it came out.
The Pompano that is sold here in Houston looks different than the one in your picture. Here, the fish is flat (looks like a bigger version of sapsap), and the flesh thin. I have not tried it before since my sister said its one of those expensive fish and yet taste so bland.
can I just wrap it in an aluminum foil and steam it? kaya lang I don’t know how a Pompano looks like… tsaka ano tawag nila dun dito sa Cebu??? I’m trying to figure it out sa pic kaya lang naka-side view sya eh tapos ang daming dahon, heheeheh
hmmm, pano kaya ito?
barbara, thanks for the microwave version. Pinoys abroad will find it useful.
Ebba, actually, I’d say the taste is delicate rather than bland. That’s what makes it so ideal for very simple dishes. You don’t want too many ingredients competing and overpowering the delicate flavor. But, yeah, rather expensive.
brenda, yes you can but careful that the sharp fins don’t pierce the foil; otherwise, the juices will just drip off. Check this Wikipedia article for a Pompano graphic.
Oooh, steamed pompano is on our menu every week, sometimes more than once. The 2 girls can finish one medium-sized pompano. Obviously it is our fave fish. I just don’t know how the kids will like this new twist (garlic and wansoy). They’ve gotten so used to how I steam it hehe. But i will give this a try.
This is a wonderful variation of steaming the fish. Mine is done with salt, pepper and thinly slices of ginger. I usually wrapped it in banana leaves. I will definitely try this! Thanks!
Chateau, gradual transition hehehe A little of the new spices each time.
Janete, banana leaves are always a winner. they impart a wonderful aroma and taste to anything — fish, rice, chicken…
The mestiza one I believe is called pompano and the dark one is pampano., The mestiza used to be shipped here in the philippines but there are some who grow them locally already.