Ginger-Scallion Steamed Fish Recipe (2024)

I’m puzzled that this cooking technique is called “steaming”. If I’ve read the instructions correctly, the fish is cooked IN the reduced sauce. Am I misinterpreting?

Sugest the poachers reread the recipe- Using a quart sauce pan then we're poaching, if using a 10" skillet - it's steaming - really depends on the depth of the liquid. A 1/4 cup of liquid in a 10" skillet is going to steam.

I used (real) maple syrup instead of sugar and added a little garlic.

Why would you pat the fish dry if you are going to brine then place in a water bath?

Delicious and simple and easy! My changes: Rinsed the fish a little after brining, white Bordeaux instead of water in the steaming sauce, mirin in place of sugar…more of both added after reducing, for steaming the fish. 8 minutes steaming for perfectly moist salmon sections about an inch thick at thickest part.

Commenters puzzled by the recipe's use of the word "steamed" don't seem to have noticed the very small amount of liquid actually called for. Yes, there will be some sauce in the bottom of the pan as the fish cooks, but the fish will not be immersed in liquid and will be cooked primarily by steam. I haven't tried this yet, but I'm looking forward to doing so. It sounds like a great recipe.

I loved it, but I was watching the salmon and it only needed 3-4 minutes, and I think it actually overcooked a little between the time I took it off the flame and served it. I had to give into my love of garlic in Asian dishes, so I sliced one into the mix of ginger and green onion. The sauce was amazing and the fish was tender. I am definitely making it again, probably steaming salmon for 2-3 min.

Is the fish skinned, or skin on, or does it matter?

Thanks to others, I substituted maple syrup for sugar, added a touch of garlic to the broth, and cooked 4 minutes, not 8. Perfectly moist and tasty.

I think this was posted today. I just happened to have some sockeye in the fridge for tonight so changed my plan to give this a try. Served over rice with baby bok choy. The flavor was great, and the sauce paired exceptionally with the bok choy, but the salmon was the opposite of tender, or as Sifton described it in today’s email, “buttery”. It was hard, and a little chewy after only 8 minutes. Maybe farm-raised Atlantic gives a different result.

No mention of this, but are you supposed to rinse the fish after the brining step? Isn't it too salty if you don't?

This was simple and great. Be sure you let the sauce reduce adequately before adding the salmon, as you don’t lose much more liquid in the cooking process. I used low-sodium soy sauce and found the dish plenty salty and served with rice and broccoli. Next time I might consider removing the skin as I didn’t love the texture, but it’s not necessary.

The fish is sitting on only 1/4c of the reduced sauce in a large skillet. Once covered the fish will be steaming in that sauce.

Great recipe and relatively easy and fast to prepare. I followed the recipe closely except for adding three small arbor chilis (chopped) to add some heat, cooking in a cast iron skillet. I also doubled the ginger. It worked, and made for a nice counterpoint to the buttery, salty flavors of the sauce and salmon. Chopped scallion greens were inspired, as well. Served with roasted broccoli and brown jasmine rice.

Greater than the sum of its parts. Delicious. Followed the recipe.

I cooked this just as instructed except that I used steelhead because it looked very nice in the store. It was incredibly easy and SO delicious. 100/10.

Here is the link to the ginger scallion oil- it is in the article, not the recipe that accompanies it.https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/magazine/caramelized-scallion-sauce-viral-chinese-barbecue.html

Simple and very tasty. It’s a regular dish now.

If you buy salmon trim, this is a very economical meal. It is typically a bit more fatty making it perfect for this preparation. 3-4 minutes is sufficient to cook the fish.

This was great. Super tasty, light broth. Definitely add garlic!

Double all sauce ingredients, buy fish without skins, steam 5 minutes then add veg on top ( broccoli rabe) Steam 5 more minutes

I used both salmon and halibut. Halibut was the better choice. I didn't love the result but, it was easy and, as with many NYT recipes, I learned another cooking method that I can tailor to my taste.

I had the skin off, and i remove any grey matter because my mother did. A great recipe!

I made this as directed and it was delicious. The only change I will make next time is that I will add more ginger because that was my favorite flavor in this. My husband (who is tired of my salmon) came back for seconds.

I used defrosted salmon for this one (2 skin on phillet pieces) and I was not quite sure it had been completely defrosted, 8 min. sharp worked well for me. The sauce itself turned out way too salty but I served it with rice, worked out well together. I'd suggest using 1 tbsp of soy sauce max if you plan to serve it with something else. Usually, I just put frozen salmon on top of the rice while it's still cooking in a covered pan. This recipe adds sauce.

I tried it with cod. I found it too salty and the fish was not tender despite ample time in the brine. I wanted this to work for its simplicity but it didn’t meet my expectations. I’m retreating back to my Martin Yan recipe that uses my fish steamer just because it’s a winner every time.

This was a great dish. I'd be careful not to overcook the salmon- I steamed it for about 4-5 minutes max. Added a bit of garlic to the liquid and used maple syrup instead of sugar. It was simple and good. I might 'fancy it up' for company by sautéing some snap peas or snap peas and onion to add to it? Great simple dish and a nice change of pace for a salmon preparation.

a little too salty for us despite a bit more sugar. otherwise loved it, next time will use a mix of mirin and soy to try for less salt.

This reminds me of a recipe I found ages ago in a Weight Watchers cookbook. I place a portion of fish in a parchment paper pouch with scallion, ginger, soy sauce, and a drizzle of oil. Then I steam the pouches in a steamer basket over simmering water until the fish is tender. The fish stays very moist. It works really well with sea bass or cod.

Cooked this and it tasted good! But all the sou sauce water I steamed the salmon in evaporated extremely quickly and I burnt my pan. Would advise not opting for too wide a pan and ensuring temp stays low.