Name: Hot and sour steamed fish
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 medium whole bream; 1 large banana leaf; 4 fresh small red thai chillies, thinly sliced; 2 fresh kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded; 2 green onions, thinly sliced; 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh coriander leaves; 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh thai basil leaves; 2 x 10cm sticks fresh lemongrass; 1/4 cup (60 millilitres) sweet chilli sauce; 2 tablespoon fish sauce; 2 tablespoon lime juice; 2 tablespoon peanut oil; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 1 centimetre piece fresh ginger (5 grams), finely grated

Hot and sour steamed fish

When fish is steamed in this way it is beautifully moist and tender and falls off the bone. The banana leaves create a touch of authenticity, while hot and sour Asian flavours complete this traditional dish.

hot and sour fish steamed in banana leaves

Skip to Recipe

Serves 4

Prep

10M

Cook

30M

Marinate

Total

40M

Ingredients

4 medium whole bream

1 large banana leaf

4 fresh small red thai chillies, thinly sliced

2 fresh kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh coriander leaves

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh thai basil leaves

2 x 10cm sticks fresh lemongrass

1/4 cup (60 millilitres) sweet chilli sauce

2 tablespoon fish sauce

2 tablespoon lime juice

2 tablespoon peanut oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 centimetre piece fresh ginger (5 grams), finely grated

Method

1.Place ingredients for lime and sweet chilli dressing in screw-top jar; shake well.

2.Score fish both sides through thickest part of flesh; place on large tray, drizzle with half of the dressing. Cover; refrigerate 1 hour.

3.Meanwhile, trim banana leaf into four 30cm squares. Using tongs, dip one square at a time into large saucepan of boiling water; remove immediately. Rinse under cold water; pat dry with absorbent paper.

4.Place leaves on work surface. In a medium bowl, combine chilli, lime leaves, onion, coriander and basil. Halve lemongrass sticks lengthways, then halve crossways to make 8 pieces.

5.Place two pieces of lemongrass on each leaf; place one fish on each. Top fish with equal amounts of the herb mixture. Fold opposite corners of the leaf to enclose centre part of fish; secure each parcel with kitchen string.

6.Place two parcels, in single layer, in large bamboo steamer; steam, covered, in two batches, over wok of simmering water about 15 minutes or until fish is cooked through. Unwrap fish; drizzle with remaining dressing.

Women's Weekly Food

Trusted by home cooks for 90 years, The Australian Women’s Weekly’s Test Kitchen and cookbooks hold a singular place in shaping home cooking within the Australian culinary landscape. Today, the AWW Test Kitchen in Sydney is a thriving hub for food content, connected to two bustling photographic studios where a talented team of Australia’s best recipe developers, art directors, editors and photographers create our world class food content. Our recipes are thoroughly tested and tasted and given the Test Kitchen tick of approval, guaranteeing you’ll get great results in your home kitchen.

Instagram Facebook

Ingredients

Method

Related stories

About your privacy