Living Off The Land and Sea: Whole Steamed Black Sea Bass

Join On The Water’s Andy Nabreski and wife and fellow chef Susan Nabreski as they cook and serve up a whole Black Sea Bass.

WHOLE STEAMED BLACK SEA BASS WITH FERMENTED BLACK BEANS

1 whole 2 to 3-pound black sea bass
2 tsp salt
1-inch piece of ginger (julienned)
3 cloves garlic
3 TBS fermented black beans
3 whole scallions
2 TBS soy sauce
2 TBS dry sherry
Pinch of sugar
1½ TBS peanut oil
3/4 tsp. dark sesame oil

Put fish on a platter that will fit in a roasting pan, sprinkle it with salt and shredded ginger. Chop garlic and fermented beans, shred scallions, and cover the fish with this stuff. Mix sherry, soy sauce and sugar, and pour over the fish.

Stand a trivet, or improvise one with two tuna-fish cans with the lids cut off, in a roasting pan big enough for the fish platter. Put the platter on the trivet. Now pour boiling water into the pan to just below, not touching, the fish platter. Cover the whole works tightly with a tent of aluminum foil. Put over a low burner or in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 10 minutes for each inch of thickness of the fish. When the fish is done, remove the platter from the steamer. Heat peanut and sesame oil together until nearly smoking, and pour over the fish. Beautiful! Eat with rice. The thin sauce in the platter is ambrosia!