Steamed Halibut Cheeks With Chopped Salted Chilies

I made this Steamed Halibut Cheeks With Chopped Salted Chilies especially for my daughter. She doesn’t like steamed fish at all because she dislikes the “fishy” smell, even fish fresh from the tank! Since Halibut is in season now and there are plenty of halibut cheeks available, I decided to have a go at making this to entice her to add some fish to her diet. The cheeks have a delicate white meat with a pure mild flavor and its not fishy at all. So, guess what, she loves it!


Recipe adapted from Revolutionary Chinese Cooking by Fuchsia Dunlop

Steamed Halibut Cheeks With Chopped Salted Chilies
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

350 g Halibut Cheeks
1 Tbsp Shaoxing Wine
¾ inch Fresh Ginger, unpeeled and smashed
1 Scallion, smashed
½ tsp Black Fermented Black Beans, rinsed
1 ½ tsp Finely chopped Fresh Ginger
4 Tbsp Chopped Salted Chilies
2 Scallions, green part only, finely sliced
2 Tbsp Peanut Oil

Method

Marinate the halibut cheeks with wine and set aside. Place the smashed ginger and scallion in the middle of a deep heatproof plate that will fit into the steamer.

Heat the wok over a high heat until smoke rises, then add the oil and swirl around. Toss in the black beans and chopped ginger and stir-fry briefly until fragrant.

Drain the wine and juices from the halibut cheeks, and then lay it over the ginger and scallion. Cover the cheeks evenly with the chilies, and then scatter with the beans and ginger from the wok.

Put the plate in the steamer and steam over a high heat until just cooked, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Serve on the steaming plate with a scattering of sliced scallion.