ELEGANT STEAMED FISH – the blog

Until recently it had not occurred to me that steamed fish could be a good change of pace from the common roasted and grilled versions. To me, steamed fish had a stigma of being too spa or hospital diet-like. Steamed fish can often taste boring without adequate seasoning and it gets even worse over uninspired steamed vegetables. Definitely a letdown in the flavor department.

St Pierre on a bed of spring vegetables

What I like about steamed fish is that the natural flavor of the seafood becomes more apparent without being masked by grill marks, or if it’s roasted in a skillet by a generous amount of fat. It goes without saying that pristine quality is of the utmost importance when steaming fish.

Recently I have had great success with steam cooking local bass, trout and salmon. The one fish that stood out was Floridian snapper, which is naturally rich because of its terrific fat content. Sometimes, steamed fish is a bit difficult to handle since it tends to breaks easily. A trick is to wrap the fish  in plastic wrap. This way the fish will steam in its own juices and stays in a compact piece.

classy simply steamed pike

Steamed Red Snapper
(recipe yields four portions)
2 fillet snapper, descaled and deboned
2 teaspoons sea salt or more for seasoning
cayenne, to taste

1. In a shallow pan mix 2 teaspoons of salt with 2 cups of water and mix to dissolve.
2. Put the snapper into the salt and water mixture and steep for 30 minutes. Put the fish onto a plate and dry with a paper towel.
3. Cut fish into four equal-sized portions.
4. Spread a 12x14-inch sheet of plastic wrap over a kitchen counter. Place one piece of snapper, skin-side down, into the middle of the plastic wrap and fold the plastic wrap over the fish. The fish should be tightly wrapped. Wrap the rest of the fish the same way.
5. Heat water in a double boiler then add the fish. Cover the boiler with a tight-fitting lid and steam the fish slowly. The fish will cook within 10 minutes. It is done when a small knife is easily inserted into the middle.

Serving Suggestions
I recommend serving steamed fish over a medley of sun-kissed farmers market vegetables such as quickly sautéed red peppers, zucchini and cucumbers dressed with a simple lemon olive oil vinaigrette and tossed with a healthy portion of chopped parsley. A sprinkle of sea salt and fresh pepper for seasoning will suffice.