Zesty Lime-Drenched Steamed Sea Bass
A whole sea bass gently steamed until the flesh turns silky and flaky, then showered with a fiery lime-chile-garlic dressing that hits every taste bud at once. This is Thai home cooking at its most elegant -- bright, clean, and impossibly fresh.
Ingredients
- 1 whole sea bass (about 1.5 lbs), cleaned and scored
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 Thai bird's eye chiles, sliced
- 3 cilantro roots or stems, minced
+ 9 more ingredients
Instructions
Rinse the fish and pat dry. Make three diagonal slashes on each side, cutting to the bone so the steam can penetrate evenly.
Place the lemongrass pieces and galangal slices on a heatproof plate that fits inside your steamer. Lay the fish on top and tuck lime rounds into the slashes.
Bring water in the steamer to a rolling boil. Set the plate with the fish inside, cover, and steam for 12-15 minutes until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
While the fish steams, pound the garlic, chiles, and cilantro roots together in a mortar and pestle until you have a rough paste.
Transfer the paste to a small bowl and stir in the lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, and chicken broth. Taste and adjust -- it should be sour first, then salty, then a little sweet with a solid chile kick.
When the fish is done, carefully drain off any liquid that collected on the plate. Pour the lime dressing evenly over the fish.
Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and sliced red chile. Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.
Nutrition Estimate
Per serving • Estimated by Blinner AI