Steamed Pompano Recipe

This Steamed Pompano Recipe is an easy and colorfully interesting dish that features a nicely seasoned, then steamed until tender Pompano fish seasoned with salt and pepper, filled with ginger, covered all over with with vegetables like carrots, and green onions, with some lemon then drizzled in a savory sauce made of garlic, onions, green chilies, soy sauce, oyster sauce, a bit of water, some sesame oil, and liquid seasoning. A quick dish that just needs a bit of preparation and some time in the steamer and it’s ready to be served !

Steamed Pompano Recipe :

Ingredients

• 1 large Pompano, gutted ( around 750 grams )
• Salt and pepper
• 1 thumb sized ginger ( sliced ), more for the fish and sauce
• 1 big banana leaf
• 1 lemon ( sliced )
• 1 carrot ( julienned )
• Green onions ( shredded )
• 1 small onion ( sliced )
• 2 cloves garlic ( minced )
• 1 piece green chili ( sliced, optional )
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• ¼ cup water
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon liquid seasoning

Steps:

1. To prepare the pompano; give this a shallow crisscross cut on each side. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Stuff ginger, inside the fish and set this aside.
2. Prepare a big sheet of aluminum foil, place over a banana leaf, lemon, a bit of carrots, green onions, and ginger. Then place the fish on top. Above the fish, cover with some lemon, ginger, green onions, and carrots. 
3. Finally covering the banana leaf and aluminum foil, leaving a slight hole in the middle peaking out. Place this on top of a steamer or boiling pot of water with a grill / rack in the middle.  Cover and steam for 20 minutes. Set aside.
4. For the sauce; Heat some oil in a pan, saute onion, garlic, leftover ginger, green onions, carrots, chili, soy sauce, oyster sauce, water, half a lemon, sesame oil, and liquid seasoning.
5. Uncover the fish from the aluminum and upper covering of banana leaf. Pour the sauce over the steamed fish. Garnish with more spring onions before serving.

How to Cook Steamed Pompano

Also called “Steamed Pompano with Oyster sauce” or “Steamed Pompano with Lemon” is an easy dinner dish that just needs a bit of preparation and let the steamer handle everything. This version is also great for those who want a healthier fish recipe since compared to frying and sauteing, steaming does not use much or any oil at all. The Pompano fish also has a good amount of natural fats that melt into ‘oil’ and keep it tender and moist.

To create this healthy and delicious dish, start with a cleaned, gutted and removed of the scales. Then on each side, give these some shallow criss cross cuts, rubbing each side with a good amount of salt and pepper. Stuff the inside with ginger since this really helps remove any foul smells or taste. Set this aside while you prepare a big sheet of aluminum foil which will be topped with a banana leaf which will serve as your ‘baking dish’. On this baking dish will be a layer of lemon, carrots, green onions, and ginger, placing the stuffed fish over then covering this in another layer of lemon, ginger, green onions and carrots. Prepare an already preheated steamer or a makeshift steamer; a big pot with already boiling water, and a rack or grill that can elevate the fish a bit to keep it from touching the water. Place the fish, making sure it’s totally wrapped with the banana leaf and foil, but you can also keep a bit of a hole/space of the aluminum foil in the middle. Steam for a few minutes till cooked and the meat is opaque. While steaming create a sauce in a pan by sautéing the leftover ginger, green onions, carrots, some onions, garlic, chilies, soy sauce, oyster sauce, a bit of water to help dilute everything, half a lemon to help make the sauce taste tangy and ‘bright’, sesame oil for nuttiness, and liquid seasoning for extra saltiness and umami flavor.

Prepare the fish by removing this from the aluminum foil, sliding this into a serving plate, take off the banana leaf on top then pour the sauce all over the fish, except the head. You can also top this with more shredded green onions to create a colorful dish that also looks absolutely amazing. It’s great for parties, when you want to make a prep-cook-and just leave it as a type of dish, or when you want to impress guests.

Questions ?

• Extra Steamed Pompano Ingredients

This dish is so versatile you can add or remove any of the ingredients, though some commonly used ingredients for this dish also include, bell peppers, mushrooms, chives, or for a more western style fish you can find many adding lemon, butter, and rosemary, sometimes using other herbs like thyme or basil. For a bit of spice you can also sprinkle some chili flakes or hot pepper flakes.

• How to make Steamed Pompano Chinese Style

The style of steaming fish always goes back to Chinese-Style dishes. Fish being an important source of ‘meat’ in Chinese cuisine. You’ll also notice that in every banquet or special occasion you’ll always find a whole, filet, or a type of fish dish included on the table. The quickest method is to place the cleaned fish that’s been given slight slits, in a steamer or shallow container and place ginger and green onions in the inside and outside. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with sesame oil, then steam till the flesh turns from slightly translucent to opaque. Make a sauce made of soy sauce, Shaoxing wine or mirin then pour this over the body. Some go as far as to simmer oil till very hot but NOT to a smoking point then pour this over the fish to give it a slight crisp and to cook the sauce into the fish.

Other Yummy Fish Recipes!

• Baked Pompano
• Pinangat na Pompano ( A spicy and tangy pompano dish )
• Sweet and Sour Fish
• Beer Battered Fish
• Fish Escabeche ( a colorful tomato sauce based fish dish )
• Homemade Fish Ball with Fishball Sauce
• Bangus Steak ( Milkfish Steak )

Steamed Pompano Resipi: (Tagalog version)

Mga Sangkap :

• 1 malaking, tinanggalan ng bituka ( mga 750 gramo )
• Asin at paminta
• 1 daliring luya (hiniwa), para sa isda at sa sarsa
• 1 malaking dahon ng saging
• 1 limon ( hiniwa )
• 1 Karot ( hiniwa ng maninipis )
• Dahon ng sibuyas ( ginutay-gutay )
• 1 sibuyas ( hiniwa )
• 2 butil ng bawang ( tinadtad )
• 1 pirasong berdeng sili ( hiniwa, opsyonal )
• 2 kutsarang soy sauce
• 1 kutsarang oyster sauce
• ¼ tasa ng tubig
• 2 kutsaritang sesame oil
• 1 kutsaritang liquid seasoning

Paano Lutuin :

1. Para ihanda ang pompano; bigyan ang mga ito ng mababaw na crisscross na hati sa bawat pantig. Kuskusin ng asin at paminta at punuin ang loob ng luya, at itabi.
2. Maghanda ng aluminum foil at at ilagay ang dahon ng saging sa itaas nito, at mga limon, karot, dahon ng sibuyas, at luya, at ipatong ang isda sa taas ng mga ito. At takpan ang isda ng limon, luya, dahon ng sibuyas, at mga karot.
3. Pagkatapos, takpan o balutin ang mga ito ng dahon ng saging at aluminum, magtabi ng konti butas sa gitsa. Ilugar ito sa itaas ng steamer o kumukulong palayok na may rack sa gitna. Takpan at lutuin ng 20 minuto at itabi.
4. Para sa sarsa; maginit ng mantika sa kawali, lutuin ang mga sibuyas, bawang, mga natirang luya, dahon ng sibuyas, karot, sili, soy sauce, oyster sauce, tubig, kalahating limon, sesame oil at liquid seasoning.
5. Tanggalin at mga takitp-aluminum at itaas na dahon ng saging ng isda. Buhusan ito ng sarsa at dekorasyonan ng dahon ng sibuyas bago ihanda.