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Steamed Sea Bass Fillet with Ginger, Garlic and Sesame-Soy Sauce

A steamed sea bass fillet seasoned with ginger, garlic, green onion, and a sesame soy sauce.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Ginger and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,038 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Steamed Sea Bass Fillet with Ginger, Garlic and Sesame-Soy Sauce

Timeabout 10 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Place the sea bass fillet in a 2- to 3-inch deep heat-proof serving dish that fits inside the rack of a stacked steamer. If you do not have a steamer, use a pot large enough and deep enough to accommodate the dish for steaming.

  2. Peel the ginger and slice into thin pieces; stack several pieces at a time and cut into fine slivers. Peel the garlic cloves and slice into thin oval pieces. Arrange both evenly over the fish.

  3. Cut the green onion into 2-inch segments, using both the white and most of the green parts, then cut each segment lengthwise into fine slivers. Set aside.

  4. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, powdered chili, vinegar and sugar; stir well to blend. Spoon the sauce over the fish without dislodging the garlic and ginger.

Steam and serve

  1. Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a steamer pot. Place the dish holding the fish on a rack above the boiling water. Cover and steam over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the fillet is cooked through.

  2. Reduce heat to low, lift the cover and wait for the hot burst of steam to dissipate before sprinkling the slivered green onion over the top of the fish. Replace the cover, return heat to medium and steam 1 to 2 minutes longer, or until the fish is cooked through.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

231Calories
2 gProtein
14 gFat
25 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Sesame1 tbsp (14g)120
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,038 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Sesame + ricetop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together984 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  4. Onion + sesametop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,192 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

  5. Ginger + sesametop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,531 recipes

    Shared aroma: nonanal (fat, citrus).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Sea bass fillet
Forms the main body of the dish, cooking through gently in the steam to become flaky.
Ginger
Adds a sharp, aromatic bite that cuts through the richness of the fish.
Garlic
Contributes pungent aroma that mellows as it steams over the fish.
Soy sauce
Provides salty, savoury depth that seasons the fish and forms the sauce.
Sesame oil
Adds a toasty, nutty aroma to the sauce.

The step that matters

Lifting the lid before adding the green onion. Lowering heat and waiting for the steam burst to settle keeps the sauce and fish from being disturbed, so the green onion sits on top rather than being scattered and the fish cooks evenly.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ginger, garlic, onion, sauce, sesame, rice, vinegar):

  1. Turmericfits better
  2. Cuminfits better
  3. Corianderfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against ginger, garlic, onion, sauce, sesame, rice, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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