serves
2
prep
15 minutes
cook
10 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
2
people
preparation
15
minutes
cooking
10
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Stream free On Demand
Steam
Watch The Full Episode Here
PG
Watch The Full Episode Here
PG
Ingredients
- 1 whole barramundi, about 600 g – 700 g, cleaned and butterflied
- 300 g block silken tofu
- salt, to taste
- light soy sauce, for drizzling
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
Sauce
- 60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
- 40 g garlic, finely chopped
- 1 bird's eye chilli, finely chopped
- 16 g Tianjin chopped preserved cabbage
- 2 tsp fermented black beans
- 100 g Tantan Xiang pickled chilli
- 30 ml Shaoxing wine
- 20 g caster sugar
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- 25 ml coconut vinegar
- 40 g Thai pickled mustard greens, white part only, diced
Instructions
- For the sauce, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the garlic, bird's eye chilli and preserved cabbage and stir for 3 minutes or until fragrant. Add the fermented black beans, pickled chilli and Shaoxing wine and stir for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, pepper and vinegar. Stand until cool, then stir in the pickled mustard plant.
- Prepare a steamer large enough to fit the fish. Cut the tofu in half lengthways, then slice into 1.5 cm rectangles. Arrange the tofu slices on a plate large enough to fit the fish.
- Season both sides of the fish with salt. Place the fish on top of the tofu and splash a little light soy sauce over the top. Place the fish on the plate in a steamer and cook for 10–12 minutes or just until cooked.
- Carefully lift the plate out of the steamer, then spread the sauce over the fish and scatter with the spring onion.
- Place the vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until just beginning to smoke. Pour the hot oil over the fish and serve immediately.
Photography by Kitti Gould.
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Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
Stream free On Demand
Steam
