Dinner Tonight: Steamed Salmon with Garlic and Ginger Recipe

By
Nick Kindelsperger
Nick Kindelsperger is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Nick Kindelsperger
Nick Kindelsperger is a food critic at the Chicago Tribune.  His food writing appears in The Washington Post, Newsweek, Epicurious, Baltimore Sun, Serious Eats, Grub Street, New York Magazine, and Tasting Table, among others.
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Updated Apr. 20, 2020
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Of all the cooking methods I use, steaming is probably close to the bottom of the list. Part of that is my fault; I don't usually get excited when I see "steaming" mentioned in recipes, correlating it unfairly with bland and boring. But bland and boring is about the last thing you'd say about this recipe from Andrea Nguyen's Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. The salmon fillets come out of the steamer juicy and coated in a flavorful sauce.

The only slightly confusing aspect is getting the salmon into the steamer basket. Instead of placing the fish directly on the basket, the recipe calls for you to set them on a plate or pie pan, which is then set inside the steamer tray. This is done so the sauce can be poured over the salmon without it spilling down into the water. While it requires you to hunt down the perfect pan, everything else about the recipe is incredibly easy.

Recipe Facts

5

(1)

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Active: 30 mins
Total: 25 mins
Serves: 3 to 4 servings

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Ingredients

For the sauce:

  • 1 1/4 teaspoons sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce

  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely shredded

  • 3 scallions, green part only, chopped

For the steamed salmon

  • 1 scallion, white part only, cut lengthwise into strips

  • 1 1/4 pounds salmon fillet, cut crosswise into 2 pieces

  • 4 sprigs cilantro

Directions

  1. For the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the sugar, pepper, oyster sauce, and soy sauce. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the oil into a small saucepan, and turn the heat to medium. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the ginger and cook until it is also fragrant, about one minute. Pour in the sauce, stir well, and wait for it to come to a boil. Then add the scallions, turn off the heat, and stir to combine. Set aside.

  2. For the steamed salmon: Fill a large pot with a steamer tray halfway up with water, and bring to a boil.

  3. Meanwhile, find a heatproof plate or nonreactive cake or pie pan that will hold the salmon fillets and will also fit in the steamer tray with about 1 inch left around the edges. Toss half of the white scallion strips into the pan, and then place the salmon fillets on top. Pour the sauce on top of the salmon.

  4. Transfer the pan to the steamer tray. Cover the pot, and cook until fish is cooked, 8 to 10 minutes. A knife should be able to be inserted into the thicket part of the flesh easily. When done, turn off the heat, and carefully remove the pan with the fish.

  5. Transfer the fish to a platter and pour the sauce and juices on top. Garnish with the remaining scallion strips and the cilantro.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
395 Calories
26g Fat
6g Carbs
33g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 395
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 26g 34%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 89mg 30%
Sodium 881mg 38%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 33g
Vitamin C 9mg 47%
Calcium 44mg 3%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 666mg 14%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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