Fish is often steamed in Asia because ovens were almost unknown there until recently and are still rare in traditional homes. Steaming is also very quick and uses much less energy than baking or broiling and is much lower in calories than frying, grilling or broiling. Very useful if you don't want to heat up the oven.

• Procedure - Chinese Dish Method
• Procedure - Packet Method
• Steaming Time Table
• Hints
• Tools

1. Select a fish the skin of which doesn't shrink badly.
2. Scale and clean your fish. Cut deep diagonal slanted slits on both sides of the fish. This helps it absorb flavors and keeps it neat looking if the skin shrinks a bit.
3. Rub the fish on both sides and inside with kosher salt.
4. Whatever seasonings and vegetables the recipe calls for, stuff some into the body cavity.
5. Place fish on the steaming dish, which will also be the serving dish.
6. Drizzle with soysauce and / or sesame oil or whatever liquids the recipe calls for. Spread remaining seasonings and vegetables on top and let marinade for 20 minutes at room temperature or an hour in the fridge.
7. Set up the steamer with an inch or more of water and place the plate on the rack. Add any additional ingredients called for in the recipe.
8. Bring the water up to a rolling boil and then cover the steamer. Steam at a moderate boil for 15 to 20 minutes depending on thickness of fish.
9. Serve immediately when done. All liquid that has gathered in the dish while steaming becomes part of the sauce.

1. Cut fish into bite size chunks and marinade per recipe (this Catfish was marinaded in fish sauce and red curry paste.
2. Lay out a double layer of banana leaf (or foil or parchment paper depending on ethnicity and/or what you have).
3. Fold the package up as tightly as you can without bursting or tearing the wrapper. It's best to put them seam side up so juices won't escape, so you may need to tie them or set a plate on top of them in the steamer.
4. Stack packets in the steamer leaving plenty of channels for the steam to rise.
5. Steam according to the table below
6. Serving: You can serve the packets as steamed so each person can unwrap their own.

• Know Your Fish: (hints for many kinds of fish are in our Varieties of Fish page. Baking is more tolerant than other methods but you'll still want fish that stays together reasonably well.
• Dismantling: If you intend to dismantle your fish into fillets before serving, selecting a fish that cooks firm is important. Even more important is that the fish be done all the way through to the spine or you'll break it up trying to get the fillets loose.
• Done: One test for doneness of a steamed fish is to pull out the dorsal (top) fin. If it doesn't pull out smoothly and easily the fish isn't done.
• Marinading: If you marinade fish, let them soak up the marinade for about 1 hour in the refrigerator or 20 minutes at room temperature. Salt and acid in the marinade will retard spoilage but don't leave them out longer than about 20 minutes. If you use leftover marinade for a sauce bring it to a high simmer for 5 minutes in a saucepan to make sure it's safe

• Wok Steamer: This is the wonderful Calphalon #155 13" multiply wok outfitted with a steamer rack and 32cm stainless wok cover, both from a local Asian grocery. Plenty of real estate here.
• Western Steamer: Easily available steamer pot fits a saucepan you probably already have. Works well but has limited real estate if you want to steam something wide. This one is by Cuisinart and fits 8" 7" and 6" saucepans.
• Oriental Steamer: The multi-layer bamboo steamer trays traditionally set over boiling water in a wok are fading from use due to difficulty keeping them clean - replaced by stainless steel pots with one or two steamer trays on top. These generally are usefully large but have the disadvantage of taking a lot of space if you don't do steaming every day.