Whole Steamed Red Grouper, Teochew Style

• 1.600gwhole red grouper, fresh, cleaned
• 2.330gbrown rice, cooked, J 200 / L 130
• 3.1pieceginger, a big thumb, sliced thin
• 4.5spring onion
• 5.2tomato, wedged
• 6.1handfulcoriander
• 7.1½tspreduced-sodium light soy sauce, measured, poured at the end
• 8.½tspsesame oil
• 9.1lime
• 10.200gbroccoli
• 11.200gkailan

• 🧂Lower-salt version: reduced-sodium soy at half the amount, still measured and poured around the fish. Ginger and lime do the rest. Taste, then squeeze lime before any salt.
• 🐟Buy fish and seafood fresh at the wet market, and freeze it at home if it is for later in the week. Frozen fish and prawns from the shop are often soaked in salt water or phosphate, which adds a lot of salt.

Method

1. 01Score the fish twice on each side. Lay half the ginger under it and half on top.
2. 02Scatter the tomato and the white parts of the spring onion around it.
3. 03Steam on high for 10 to 12 minutes. The fish is done when the flesh at the thickest part comes away from the bone.
4. 04Pour off and discard the cloudy water in the plate.
5. 05Heat the measured soy with a splash of water and the sesame oil, then pour it around the fish, never over it.
6. 06Green spring onion and coriander on top. Lime alongside. Taste, then squeeze lime over the fish before reaching for salt.
7. 07Steam the broccoli and stir-fry the kailan with garlic.