Whole Roasted Sea Trout with Soy Sauce and Ginger

Roasting or steaming a whole fish is a centerpiece for an Asian-style feast. Serve it with rice and broccolini in a soy, ginger and garlic sauce. The meal is complete — as well as wholesome. The whole roasted sea trout (or sea bass) with soy and ginger recipe shows up in the seafood section of Yotam Ottolenghi’s SIMPLE. Ottolenghi characterizes this as a dish you can make ahead (M) and is easier (E) to do than you think. But I couldn’t wholeheartedly endorse the notions of M & E for this dish.

For one, if you go through the trouble and expense of sourcing a fresh fish, you want to serve it right away. Fish doesn’t wait. Preparing the sauce ahead of time is fine, just like any recipes.

If time is a concern, I’ve found steaming a far better and quicker method when it comes to preserve the natural flavor of the sea. Steaming takes about 15-20 minutes, instead of 40 minutes that roasting requires, as outlined in the recipe. In addition, steaming is the healthiest method as few of the nutrients are lost to the cooking liquid and there is no fat in it.

Whether 15-20 minutes of steaming or 30-40 minutes of roasting is quite arbitrary. Contrary to popular belief, the cooking time solely depends on the thickness of the fish, not the total weight. More important, check for doneness by the visual clues — the flesh separates from the bone. Or use a digital probe and stop cooking when the internal temperature reaches 140°F.

Sea trout tastes like salmon but more delicate in texture. The sea trout I bought weighs less than one pound and I believe they are farm-raised.

Consequently, it took less than 30 minutes for the whole roasted sea trout to finish cooking. I’d have preferred the fish to be less firm. In the end, I’d never say that a fish recipe is easy, given the many variations in ingredients and oven settings. Nonetheless, this is my conclusion: there are more nuances in cooking fish than you think!

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Whole Roasted Sea Trout with Soy Sauce and Ginger

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 whole sea bass or trout, scaled, gutted and rinsed (2 lb 2 oz/1 kg)
• flaked sea salt
• 10 green onions (5 1/4 oz/160g), trimmed, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 1 medium green cabbage, (optional), leaves removed individually
• 1 1/2-inch/4 cm (1/4 cup/30 g) piece of ginger, peeled and julienned
• 1 red chile, seeded and julienned
• 5 tbsp/75 ml peanut oil
• 1/2 cup/10 g cilantro leaves
• For the SOY AND GINGER SAUCE:
• 7 tbsp/100 ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 3 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2

To make the soy and ginger sauce: Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a small pan and place over high heat. Once boiling, cook for 1 minute, swirling the pan slightly so that the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3

To prep the fish: Make diagonal slits on both sides of the fish. Sprinkle 1 tsp of flaked salt evenly all over the fish on both sides.

4

To roast (or steam) the fish: Spread cabbage leaves on the bottom of the baking dish or pan. Spread green onions and ginger in the cavity of the fish. Place the fish diagonally on top and sprinkle with more green onions and ginger. Pour the sauce over the fish, then cover the pan tightly with foil. (Skip the foil and the sauce if you choose to steam the fish.) Place the baking pan in the oven for about 40 minutes. To check for doneness, gently insert a knife and check that the flesh comes away from the bones and is opaque.

5

To garnish the fish: Sprinkle sliced green onions and chile on the fish. Pour the peanut oil into a small pan and place over high heat for about 2 minutes, until it starts to smoke. Very carefully pour the hot oil evenly over the fish so that the skin and vegetables start to crisp. Top with the cilantro and serve, either straight from the baking dish or on a platter. If on a platter, arrange the cabbage and green onion on the platter—pull them out from under the fish—then carefully lift the fish to sit on top. Pour the cooking sauce on top and serve.

Notes

Adapted from SIMPLE by Yotam Ottolenghi