I love seafood and I love steamed whole fish. I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to try a whole fish recipe in the Thermomix, after all I’ve cooked a full roast, a whole chicken and silverside in the Varoma. I came across this recipe while searching a whole snapper recipe and is by renowned celebrity chef Neil Perry (owner of the Rockpool restaurants at Crown Metropol in Perth and Melbourne). This meal is perfect to enjoy between two or as part of a shared banquet amongst friends. It’s a classic Chinese dish that is simple to make but impressive to serve, especially when accompanied with vegetables and rice.

Prep and Cooking Time – 30 minutes | Serves – 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

– 400 – 600g snapper (I used a 600g panfry snapper)

– Chinese cabbage leaves (I used baby Wombok)

– 3 spring onions, white section only and split into two

– 2-3 spring onions, white section only and thinly sliced

– 2 teaspoon sea salt

– 30g ginger, sliced julienne

– 800g boiling water

– 50g peanut oil

– 1 large handful of coriander leaves, for garnishing

For the Sauce…

– 125g chicken liquid stock

– 2 Tablespoon light soy sauce

– 1 Tablespoon sesame oil

– 1 Tablespoon Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine)

– 1 Tablespoon white sugar

METHOD

Put all the sauce ingredients into a small bowl and set aside.

Line Varoma bowl with the cabbage leaves and split spring onions in the Varoma bowl, ensuring that a small opening is in the middle to allow steam to come through. Set aside.

Pat the fish dry with a paper towel. With a sharp knife, make 3 diagonal cuts in the thickest park of the fish, then in the other direction to make a diamond pattern. Do the same on the other side of the fish.

Rub the fish with salt and lay it on top of the split spring onions and cabbage leaves. Set aside.

Fill TM bowl with boiling water and place Varoma bowl with fish on top. Pour the reserved sauce over the fish and top with ginger. Cook 10-15 minutes / Varoma / speed 2.

Once cooked, transfer the fish and ginger onto a platter and scatter the fish with the julienned spring onions. Reserve 150g of the steamed fish juice from the TM bowl and pour on top of the fish. Disregard the remaining juice.

Place peanut oil into the TM bowl and cook 1 minute / 100^oC / speed 1. Once cooked, carefully douse the fish with the hot oil and top with coriander. serve immediately.