Lunar New Year Steamed Whole Sea Bass with Ginger-Scallion Marinade
A whole sea bass is briefly marinated with Shaoxing wine, ginger, and scallion, then gently steamed until silky and topped with fresh ginger and scallion slivers, sizzling oil, and a light soy sauce. It's the classic Lunar New Year centerpiece, served whole to symbolize abundance and a good year ahead.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Wait
- 17 min
- Total
- 52 min
- Makes
- 1 whole fish (about 4 servings as part of a multi-dish meal)
Steps
Before you start
- Ask your fishmonger to scale and gut the sea bass but leave the head and tail on. Cook it the day you buy it for the best flavor.
- Check that your fish fits on a heatproof plate with about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of space around it, and that the plate fits in your wok or steamer with the lid closed.
- Bring the fish out of the refrigerator only when you start the marinade. Keep it cold until then.
- Read the timing: the fish marinates for 15 minutes, which is when you prepare the toppings and sauce and boil the steaming water.
Score the fish
- Pat the sea bass completely dry inside and out with paper towels.
- Lay it on a cutting board and make 3 diagonal cuts on each side, cutting about ¼ inch (6 mm) deep, or just down to the bone, through the thickest part of the body.
- Scoring lets the marinade in and helps the thick part cook at the same pace as the thin tail.
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Ready when: Each cut reaches the bone but the skin stays attached and the fish keeps its shape.
Tip: A dry fish is easier to score safely. Hold it steady with a folded towel.
Marinate the fish
- Place the fish on a rimmed plate.
- Sprinkle the salt over both sides and inside the cavity, then drizzle with the Shaoxing wine and dust with the white pepper.
- Rub it gently into the cuts.
- Tuck about half of the ginger coins into the cavity and lay the rest on top.
- Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Do not marinate longer, because the wine and salt will start to firm the flesh.
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Ready when: The fish smells fragrant of wine and ginger and the surface is still moist but not slimy.
Tip: Keep it refrigerated while marinating.
Prepare the toppings
- While the fish marinates, cut the scallion greens and ginger into very thin strips.
- Combine the strips in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes so they curl and crisp, then drain well and pat dry.
- Smash and cut the remaining scallions for the bed (if not already done).
- Set the cilantro aside if using.
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Ready when: The strips are hair-thin, curled at the edges, and dry to the touch.
Tip: Dry strips matter: water on them will cause spattering when the hot oil hits.
Mix the sauce
- In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, water, sugar, and sesame oil until the sugar dissolves.
- Set aside near the stove.
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Ready when: The sugar is fully dissolved and no grains are visible.
Boil the steaming water
- Set a steaming rack in the wok and pour in enough water to come about 1½ inches (4 cm) up the sides but stay below the rack.
- Cover and bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, about 5 minutes.
- The steam should be billowing before the fish goes in.
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Ready when: Steam pours steadily from under the lid.
Tip: Start this about 5 minutes before the marinade finishes so the steam is ready.
Arrange the fish
- Lay the smashed scallion pieces in a row on the heatproof plate to make a bed.
- Pour off any liquid that has pooled on the marinating plate and discard the ginger coins from the top of the fish.
- Set the fish on the scallion bed, leaving the cavity ginger in place.
- The bed lifts the fish so steam circulates underneath and the skin does not stick to the plate.
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Ready when: The fish sits level on the scallions, with no part of it touching the plate.
Tip: Use two spatulas to support the head and tail when moving the fish so it doesn't break.
Steam the fish
- Carefully set the plate on the rack over the boiling water, cover tightly, and steam over high heat for 10 to 12 minutes.
- A fish this size (about 1¾ lb / 800 g) is done at 10 minutes if thin, 12 if thick.
- Check at 10 minutes by inserting the tip of a knife into the thickest part by the backbone.
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Ready when: The flesh turns opaque and white and flakes easily at the backbone, the eyes turn white, and an instant-read thermometer reads 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part.
Tip: Err on the side of undercooking. The fish keeps cooking from residual heat for a minute or two, and overcooked bass turns dry and tough.
Drain and top
- Wearing oven mitts or using a plate lifter, remove the plate from the wok.
- Tilt it over the sink to pour off all the milky liquid released by the fish.
- Pick off and discard the cooked scallion bed and the ginger from the cavity.
- Pile the fresh ginger and scallion strips (and cilantro, if using) in a generous line along the length of the fish.
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Ready when: The plate is free of liquid and the fish is covered with a mound of fresh strips.
Tip: Draining the steaming liquid removes any fishy taste, so don't skip it.
Sizzle with hot oil
- In a small saucepan, heat the neutral oil over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until it shimmers and you see the first wisp of smoke.
- Immediately pour the hot oil slowly and evenly over the ginger and scallion strips on the fish.
- They should sizzle loudly and release a fragrant aroma.
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Ready when: The oil shimmers and a thin wisp of smoke appears; the strips wilt and sizzle on contact.
Tip: Pour carefully away from yourself and keep the plate on a stable surface. Hot oil spatters.
Sauce and serve
- Pour the soy sauce mixture around the base of the fish (not over the top, so the strips stay bright).
- Serve immediately while hot.
- Traditionally, the head faces the guest of honor, and the fish is served whole so the year begins and ends with plenty.
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Ready when: Sauce pools around the fish and the aroma of ginger, scallion, and sesame rises from the plate.
Tip: Spoon the sauce and juices over rice with each portion.
Good to know
Tips
- Make sure the water is at a full boil before the fish goes in. Starting in cold or lukewarm steam produces mushy, fishy-tasting flesh.
- Use a plate with a rim so the juices stay put, and drain them before topping the fish.
- Thin strips of ginger and scallion are important: thick pieces won't wilt and release their aroma in the hot oil.
- If the fish is too long for your wok, cut off the head and tail, steam them alongside, and reassemble on the plate.
Make ahead
"Score and marinate the fish up to 15 minutes ahead (no longer). Cut and soak the ginger and scallion strips up to 4 hours ahead, then drain, dry, and refrigerate in a covered container lined with a paper towel. Mix the sauce up to 1 day ahead. Steam, top, and sizzle just before serving."
Storage & reheating
"Best eaten immediately. Refrigerate leftover fish, removed from the bones, in an airtight container for up to 1 day. Reheat gently by steaming for 3 to 4 minutes until hot throughout (165°F / 74°C). Not recommended for freezing, as the texture turns watery."
Substitutions
- whole sea bass → Whole branzino, red snapper, or striped bass of similar size. Keep the weight to about 1½–2 lb (700–900 g) and adjust steaming time by a minute either way.
- Shaoxing wine → Dry sherry. Gives a similar flavor. Use the same amount, or use dry white wine in a pinch.
- light (regular) soy sauce → Tamari or gluten-free soy sauce. Use the same amount to make the dish gluten-free, and check that the Shaoxing wine is replaced with dry sherry too.
- neutral oil such as peanut or canola → Avocado oil or grapeseed oil. Any oil with a high smoke point works. Do not use olive oil.