Cod with fish sauce, chillies, ginger and basil
This light, steamed fish with full-on flavour is based on a dish that I saw my friend Izzy Ariff cook in one of her live cook-a-long sessions during the first COVID lockdown. Izzy is from Perak, a northern Malaysian state, close to the Thai border. I expect that traditionally this dish would use Thai basil, but I’ve found that regular basil is just as lovely. Be sure to spoon plenty of the sauce and herbs onto your portion of fish once it’s on your plate!
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A recipe for cod with fish sauce, chillies, ginger and basil
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
To steam the fish, fill a wok that has a lid with a depth of 4cm (1½in) water and place a trivet inside. If you don’t have a large enough wok or a trivet, you can just use a wide deep saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, and a small, upturned heatproof bowl. The lid must be able to close flush once the plate containing your fish is placed on the trivet, and your pan needs to be wide enough for steam to be able to pass around the plate once the lid is closed. Bring the water to the boil. The water must be at a rolling boil before you put your fish in.
Step 2
Pour the oil onto the heatproof plate you are using for steaming and use a folded piece of paper towel to grease the plate.
Step 3
Place the fish fillets (skin-side down, if they have skin) on the plate – make sure that there is a little space in between each fillet. Sprinkle the ginger, chillies and spring onion over the fish, then pour over the fish sauce and rice wine or sherry.
Step 4
Place the plate in your steamer and steam the fish for 10 minutes over a medium heat.
Step 5
Carefully remove the plate from the steamer and sprinkle the basil leaves on top of the fish. Serve immediately.
