At the time of writing, I was very new to fish. I only started eating sushi when I was 23. Undertaking a whole fish, I had to steel myself to the idea. I went with a Chinese style that I grew up with at restaurants. A whole white fish, sometimes branzino, sometimes sea bass, or flounder; steaming out of a circular bamboo tray and seared with a trickle of hot oil. It always had a soupy soy sauce broth gathering in moat around our prey.

Over the years, I’ve played many variations on this theme. You’ll see stalks of lemongrass in the GIF below or crushed calamansi at the end. Try your own mixes with a splash of vinegar or wine with the soy sauce.

This was part of my dinner with Lara Heintz, check out the full menu.

Steamed Whole Fish with Ginger, Leeks, and Arugula

1. Pat the outside of the fish dry with paper towels.

2. Season the fish generously on the inside and outside with salt and pepper.

3. Separate the white part from the green stalk of the leek. Julienne the white parts and submerge in a bowl od cold water to clean them.

4. Rip the green part of the leeks apart and rinse well in cold water, making sure there is no mud between the layers.

5. Line a steamer basket with the green leeks.

6. Stuff the fish with half the garlic, ginger and white leeks.

7. Steam the fish over the green leeks for 8 to 10 minutes until it flakes off when you stick a fork in it.

8. Ready a heat-safe platter with the arugula.

9. Heat the vegetable oil on high heat in a small pan until it is hot. Stand back and flick a little water at it, it should pop.

10. Place the fish on the arugula and sprinkle the rest of the garlic and leeks on top.

11. Carefully pour the hot vegetable oil along the length of the fish.

12. Finish by squeezing the orange and, pouring the soy sauce over the fish. Top with orange zest!

Did you try this recipe? Let me know on social media by tagging @Randwiches.