Chinese Steamed Sea Bass with Pak Choi (perfect for Chinese New Year)

This restaurant style Chinese Steamed Sea Bass is a popular recipe in many Chinese homes for special occasions, and most certainly, during the reunion dinner on the eve of the Chinese New Year.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Chinese steamed fish with vegetables
Chinese Steamed Sea Bass

Chinese New Year Symbolism

A whole fish, complete with its head and tail, makes a pretty impressive table centrepiece. Not unlike the holiday roast in many Western cultures.

Symbolism plays a big part in Chinese culture and is observed when devising a celebratory menu. Fish is always present as the Mandarin word for fish (yú) sounds like over abundance. Therefore, the fish dish symbolizes the desire and wish for much prosperity and wealth.

When a fish is served with its head and tail intact, that denotes the wish for a good beginning and end to the New Year.

You can read more about Chinese New Year celebrations on the Chinese New Year recipe page here on LinsFood

Chinese steamed fish with vegetables
The aromatics are delicious with the fish

Chinese Steamed Sea Bass Recipe

This is an extremely easy recipe to make at home. The marinade/flavourings is a matter of preference, keep it simple, as I’ve done here or not.

I’ve gone for just soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil to flavour the fish, allowing the delicate fish meat to be enjoyed to its fullest. However, you could, if you like, add oyster sauce to the marinade, fermented beans (taucheo) and even miso paste, for a bit of an umami kick.

Don’t know the difference between light, dark and sweet soy sauce? Click here to read more.

How to Steam your Sea Bass

If you don’t have a steamer, especially one big enough to hold a whole fish, improvise.

  1. Use the biggest wok or deep frying pan you have.
  2. Place either a small metal trivet or a small saucer in it. If you’re using a saucer, invert it.
  3. And fill it with water to about 5cm/2″ high.
  4. Cover it tightly, either with a lid, or use foil.

⇒ That’s your makeshift steamer. See the images in the recipe card.

Not keen on whole fish?

If you are not keen on a whole fish, the same recipe can be made with fish fillets, ready prepared by your fishmonger. I know many folks who can’t stand the idea of looking at the fish’s eyes on the dinner table! So make the whole recipe with some white fish fillets, just as tasty, and less fiddly.

How to serve the Chinese Steamed Sea Bass

This sea bass will be perfect as part of an Oriental menu, whether that’s a completely Chinese menu, or mix it up with some Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese or Korean recipes.

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If you like the recipe, don’t forget to leave me a comment and that all important, 5-star rating! Xièxie!

And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor.

Lin xx

Chinese steamed fish with vegetables

Chinese Steamed Sea Bass

This restaurant style Chinese Steamed Sea Bass is a popular recipe in many Chinese homes for special occasions. Perfect for Chinese New Year.
5 from 22 votes
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Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: chinese, fish, healthy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 267kcal
Author: Azlin Bloor

Equipment

  • a steamer or a makeshift one using a large saucepan

Ingredients

  • 1 whole sea bass about 300g/10.5 oz
  • 6 pak choi bunches
  • 2 medium tomatoes
  • 2 spring onions scallions
  • 5 cm (2 in) long fresh ginger
  • 1 mild red chilli
  • freshly ground white pepper black will do too
  • fresh coriander cilantro, chopped for garnishing
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil

Marinade

  • 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, or 1/2 tsp vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil

Instructions

  • Make 3 diagonal slashes on both sides of the fish to help with the cooking.
  • Mix the marinade ingredients and marinate the fish with half the marinade while you get all the other ingredients ready. Be sure to rub it in between the slashes you made.
  • Clean and cut the stems off the pak choi, leaving them whole.
  • Slice the tomatoes.
  • Thinly slice (julienne) the spring onions, ginger and chilli, as in the pictures.
  • Decide on the dish that you are going to cook and serve the fish on. It doesn’t matter if the head and tail hang over the edges. Line the dish with the tomatoes, followed by the pak choi.
  • Place the marinated fish on the vegetables.
  • Tuck a few ginger strips in the slices you made. Top the fish with half the aromatics – the spring onions, ginger and chilli strips. Keep the rest to top the finished dish with.
  • Drizzle the rest of the marinade all over the fish and aromatics.
  • Sprinkle some pepper, then steam the fish for 10 minutes. If you are using a makeshift steamer, the water wants to be simmering, not boiling. Check that the fish is cooked. You can do this by just lifting the meat off the bone with a butter knife or something similar. The meat should be completely opaque. If not done, give it another 2-3 minutes.
  • Chop up the coriander (cilantro) while waiting for the fish to cook.
  • When the fish is done, heat the 1 Tbsp of sesame oil in a small frying pan on medium heat. When smoking, quickly fry the rest of the spring onions, ginger and chillies for 10 seconds and pour this aromatic oil all over the fish.
  • Top with the coriander and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 1064mg | Potassium: 706mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2717IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 2mg
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15 thoughts on “Chinese Steamed Sea Bass with Pak Choi (perfect for Chinese New Year)”

  1. I keep eyeing the whole fish in the supermarket, but never buy them as I’m not quite sure what to do with them. I’ll have to try this recipe out. It sounds easy and delicious! If I make it with fillets, do they need to be from a certain kind of fish, or will any white fish do?

    1. Thanks Lisa. Yes, any firm, white fish will do. Cod is a little bland, so you might want to add the other ingredients, like oyster sauce, as suggested.

  2. Thanks, I’m going to make it for lunch this weekend. What otherfish can I use besides seabass?

  3. Wonderful! I’m not able to go back home this year, and have decided to invite some friends to help me celebrate the Reunion dinner. I love the wide selection you have on your cny page. And this is a good start. thanks Azlin.

  4. Thank you Azlin. I’ve always wanted to try this but all the recipes I see are so complicated. Yours looks nice and easy.

  5. Tatiana Christov

    This is a classic dish I love to order in restaurants and you describe the process brilliantly! I can’t wait to cook this next weekend. Thank you so much.

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