Steamed Organic Clare Island Salmon

Print this recipe ›

Steaming Fish

Steaming fish or indeed any food is a wonderful way to cook. Not only is it low fat, but it preserves flavours. And the nutritional benefits of steaming food are very impressive.

In a recent study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Nutrition (US), the level of flavonoids, an antioxidant compound, lost after steaming fresh broccoli was 11 percent. When compared with a 66 percent loss when broccoli was boiled, a 47 percent loss when pressure cooked, and a whopping 97 percent loss when microwaved, the advantages of cooking with this ancient technique in the contemporary kitchen are obvious. Even to a skeptic!

Method

In your VIKING combi steam oven or in the Kuppersbusch one, choose the steam function and simply place the fish on the perforated tray. You can fancy this up by placing the fish on lemon slices, or cabbage or even banana leaves.

Steam for 7 minutes.

If you don’t yet have your steamer! You can do this dish in your wok with a bamboo steamer. I love using the ancient Bamboo Steamer. It’s so versatile, you can even make bread in it. The Bamboo Steamer came out of the Sung dynasty in the 10 th century, so I get a great kick out of using this with the ultra modern Kuppersbusch induction hob!!

Line the bamboo steamer with cabbage leaves. These will prevent the fish from sticking and also impart flavour. I sometimes thrown in a sliver or two of ginger or galangal, or some lime leaves and crushed lemon grass, and then throw a bit of Tamari or Soy on the top. The cabbage leaf will hold most of the juices in.

15 minutes will cook your salmon perfectly.

Another trick from ancient China! Put some water in the bottom of your wok, criss cross a pair of chop sticks above the water, you can rest a heat proof dish/plate on the sticks, and steam in this way. The plate will collect flavours, juices and hold slivers of ginger or minced chillis.