A lightly sweetened soy-based sauce ties the whole dish together.

It begins on the eve of the first new moon of the lunar calendar and lasts about 15 days.

Feasting, giving gifts, and receiving money in red envelopes are significant to the festivities.

Overhead view of a steamed whole fish on a flatter and topped with sauce and herbs.

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The Chinese word for fish is a homophone for the wordsurplus.

Spring rolls and dumplings both represent wealth with their shapes similar to gold bars and silver ingots.

The loveliest part about this dish is its simplicity.

Chopsticks picking up a bite of steamed whole fish off a platter.

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Pretty much everything can be prepped ahead of time and assembled shortly before cooking.

Stay away from fish with lots of little bones.

Black sea bass and red snapper are popular.

Overhead view of a steamed whole fish on a flatter and topped with sauce and herbs.

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For the home cook, they work especially well as theyre often sold at 1 1/2 pounds each.

Branzini also works but Ive found that theyre usually smaller than 1 1/2 pounds.

One pounders can be skimpy when serving more than 2 to 3 people.

Overhead view of a steamed whole fish on a flatter and topped with sauce and herbs.

Simply Recipes / Uyen Luu

Dont even think of using thawed frozen fish.

In my family, this was a dish we had after a trip to Chinatown.

Wed look for a fishmonger with tanks of live fish.

Overhead view of a steamed whole fish on a flatter and topped with sauce and herbs.

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The fish was taken out of a tank and killed and cleaned right in front of us.

If youre lucky, you might experience this at your local Asian market.

Your fish monger should be able to scale, clean your fish and trim off the fins.

Overhead view of two plates of herbs.

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check that you keep the tail!

If thats not possible, pack the fish in ice and it will hold for up to 3 days.

Change the ice as needed so the fish isnt sitting in a bowl of water.

Prepping ginger with a chef’s knife to make whole steamed black sea bass

Simply Recipes / Uyen Luu

Scoring the Fish

There are two main reasons to score the fish.

Second, it allows access for the seasonings to penetrate the flesh.

Make 3 parallel slice marks crosswise on each side of the fish.

Prepping ginger with a chef’s knife to make whole steamed black sea bass

Simply Recipes / Uyen Luu

The knife blade should hit but not cut through the bone.

The scores do not need to go all the way down to the belly.

How to Steam Fish

For perfect steamed fish, place an8-inch steaming rackinside the wok.

Cutting ginger into matchsticks with a chef’s knife to make whole steamed black sea bass

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The goal is to keep the dish holding the fish elevated above wok.

Place it inside the wok and set the plate on the foil coil.

Thisrecipefor salmon explains the parchment paper folding process.

Chopping scallions with a chef’s knife to make whole steamed black sea bass

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Fish cheeks are considered a prized succulent part of the fish.

Theyre slippery little buggers!

More Fantastic Fish Recipes

You are very likely to find an occasional small bone in the fish.

Slicing scallions with a chef’s knife to make whole steamed black sea bass

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Be on the lookout, especially if young children are participating.

Cut about 1 inch of unpeeled ginger into 1/8-inch thick coins.

Set the smashed ginger coins aside on a small plate.

Two plates with herbs and ginger for a whole steamed fish.

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You will use these for cooking.

Peel the remaining 1 1/2-inch long piece of ginger.

Slice it lengthwise into long thin planks, about 1/16-inch thick or as thin as possible.

Setting up the steamer in a wok to make whole steamed fish.

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Place the julienned ginger on another small plate and set aside.

This is your garnish plate.

Cut the scallions into 2-inch long pieces.

Prepping the whole fish set on a cutting board.

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Divide the cilantro between the cooking plate the garnish plate.

Inside a large wok, place a metal steam rack.

Add about 1-inch of water, to the wok.

Whole steamed fish with ginger and scallions in a glass bowl.

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Cover the wok with a large domed lid and bring the water to a boil over high heat.

Have extra water on hand nearby to replenish if necessary.

Eventually, you will place the pie plate (or plate) with the fish on the steam rack.

Whole steamed fish with ginger and scallions steamed in a wok.

Simply Recipes / Uyen Luu

If the fish still has its fins, use kitchen shears to trim off all but the tail fin.

Run your fingers along the skin to feel for and pull off any overlooked scales.

Rinse the fish, inside and out, with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Whole steamed fish with ginger and scallions on a platter.

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Lay the fish flat on a cutting board.

Flip the fish over and repeat on the other side.

Scatter half of the remaining smashed ginger, scallion batons, and cilantro into the 9-inch glass pie plate.

Pouring sauce over whole steamed fish with ginger and scallions

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Splash the fish with the Shaoxing wine.

Check to check that theres still plenty of water in the wok.

Add more if necessary, and return to a boil.

Overhead view of a steamed whole fish on a flatter and topped with sauce and herbs.

Simply Recipes / Uyen Luu

Carefully place the pie plate onto the steamer rack and cover the wok.

If the flesh is not flaky yet, cover and cook a couple of minutes longer.

Add the oil to a small saucepan.

Braised pork belly for Tết

When the fish is cooked through, carefully remove the pie plate from the wok.

Remove the herbs from on top of the fish and inside of the cavity.

Use two metal offset or fish spatulas to carefully transfer the fish to a clean platter.

Vietnamese steamed rice served over banana leaves.

Using the plate of herbs set aside for garnish.

Scatter the julienned ginger, scallions, and remaining cilantro over the fish.

Set the saucepan with oil over medium-high heat, but keep an eye on it.

Coconut rice pudding with lotus and sweet potato served in a bowl with a spoon.

You want the oil to be very hot and shimmering, but not smoking, 1 to 2 minutes.

Carefully pour the hot oil over the fish and fresh herbs.

Pour the sauce around the fish.

Pork belly and eggs braised in sweet coconut water in a bowl.

This is not a dish that holds well.

Serve immediately, preferably with plenty of steamed rice to soak up all that sauce.

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Overhead view of a steamed whole fish on a flatter and topped with sauce and herbs.

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