Sea Bream (Dourade) is a very under-rated fish in my opinion, I can recall the most fantastic sea-bream taken fresh from the sea in Portugal, scaled, gutted and thrown straight onto hot coals - delicious if somewhat brutal way of eating a very well flavoured fish.
So here's a slightly asian take - deliciously tasty but subtle also!
Very healthy too!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 whole plate-sized bream, scaled, gilled and gutted
⅔ cup fish sauce
⅓ cup lime juice
2 teaspoons grated palm sugar
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 small green chillies, finely sliced
½ bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
Half fill a wok (or large saucepan) with water and bring to the boil.
Place a plate in a steamer basket, or line with baking paper.
Having scaled and cleansed the fish (if you have a good fishmonger, he'll have done this for you - don't be afraid to ask!) rinse the belly cavity of the fish, rub away any black lining and pat dry. Cut several deep slashes into the thickest part of both sides of the fish.
Combine the fish sauce, palm sugar, lime juice, garlic, chili and half the coriander and ensure that the resulting marinade covers the sea-bream . (I love this marinade and it can be used on many fish not just sea-bream)
Now place fish into the steamer. Place steamer over wok or saucepan, and cover and steam for 10-12 minutes until the fish is opaque and flesh flakes easily when tested with a fork. One of the joys of steaming fish is that it relatively quickly one becomes adept at judging when the fish is cooked to its' best. I think the transformation under the steam is magical.
Remove the plate from the steamer and sprinkle with the remaining coriander.
Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice and enjoy the idyllic combination of fresh steamed fish, lime, chili and coriander. Your guests will think you're a culinary genius, but we don't need to tell them how simple this dish really is !
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