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When new friends find out I am a cook, questions inevitably follow. “My chicken never gets crispy and always dries out. What am I doing wrong?” “I have pork tenderloin I got on special from the store and I’m not sure what do with it. What do you do?”
Of any food group, fish seems to cause the most consternation. It so intimidates people it seems, that many forgo cooking it altogether. The possibility of producing moist, flavorful filets is simply so foreign that many don’t even bother trying.
This is unfortunate because fish is, a. delicious, b. healthy, and c. exceptionally quick cooking- a godsend to home cooks.
On the other hand, I can understand the fear. All it takes is one terribly dry piece of halibut or limp, flavorless filet of trout for the home cook to swear off all aquatic species, preferring to leave cooking it up to the restaurant professionals.
There are many ways to cook a fish but there is one nearly foolproof method that home cooks too often overlook: steaming. Steaming fish takes the guesswork out of the equation. There is no worrying about getting the skin perfectly crispy or praying that the flesh doesn’t stick to the pan when sautéing. Steaming avoids the mess of deep-frying and the drying out that happens all to easily when baking.
This method only requires a steamer basket or pan fitted with a steamer insert. Add liquid--wine, broth, or simply water will do--and bring to a simmer. Place any skin-off fish in the pan (nobody wants to eat soggy, steamed fish skin) and a few minutes later the fish is flaky and moist, no mess and hardly a fuss.
I’ve tried many variations on steaming and have yet to find a fish that doesn’t take well. Scallops, high on the scary list of most home cooks, are nearly impossible to mess up in a steamer basket. I score nice plump ones and sprinkle with lemon or orange zest along with a healthy dose of salt and pepper before placing in a bamboo steamer basket over simmering water. Three to four minutes later and the scallops are just cooked through, plump, tender, and moist.
I’ve taken my steamed fish Southeast Asian, filling banana leaves to form packets of fish with coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger sauce. Less than ten minutes is all it takes for a thick piece of salmon or cod to get flaky and infuse with the aromatic sauce.
This week I wanted fish and a broth but not cooked together, just eaten at the same time. Sometimes the fish can leave a funky impurity to the cooking liquid when braising so I decided to steam the fish and make an aromatic broth separately then marry the two once the fish was just cooked. The fish (I used pike, a cod-like fish from the Northeast) got a quick marinade in white wine and ginger. Meanwhile, I prepped mushrooms, asparagus, and ramps (green onions are a fine substitute) to add into a simple chicken broth to give color, texture, and flavor. The fish steamed, the broth simmered, then the two came together with a drizzle of sesame oil for a flavor boost.
No sticky fish, no messy oil, and not for a second frightening. Every bite of this gingery steamed fish dish was delicious, healthy, and dang if it wasn’t one fast cooking dinner.
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/1259-steamed-fish/
To Take the Scary Out of Fish, Steam
When new friends find out I am a cook, questions inevitably follow. “My chicken never gets crispy and always dries out. What am I doing wrong?” “I have pork tenderloin I got on special from the store and I’m not sure what do with it. What do you do?”
Of any food group, fish seems to cause the most consternation. It so intimidates people it seems, that many forgo cooking it altogether. The possibility of producing moist, flavorful filets is simply so foreign that many don’t even bother trying.
This is unfortunate because fish is, a. delicious, b. healthy, and c. exceptionally quick cooking- a godsend to home cooks.
On the other hand, I can understand the fear. All it takes is one terribly dry piece of halibut or limp, flavorless filet of trout for the home cook to swear off all aquatic species, preferring to leave cooking it up to the restaurant professionals.
There are many ways to cook a fish but there is one nearly foolproof method that home cooks too often overlook: steaming. Steaming fish takes the guesswork out of the equation. There is no worrying about getting the skin perfectly crispy or praying that the flesh doesn’t stick to the pan when sautéing. Steaming avoids the mess of deep-frying and the drying out that happens all to easily when baking.
This method only requires a steamer basket or pan fitted with a steamer insert. Add liquid--wine, broth, or simply water will do--and bring to a simmer. Place any skin-off fish in the pan (nobody wants to eat soggy, steamed fish skin) and a few minutes later the fish is flaky and moist, no mess and hardly a fuss.
I’ve tried many variations on steaming and have yet to find a fish that doesn’t take well. Scallops, high on the scary list of most home cooks, are nearly impossible to mess up in a steamer basket. I score nice plump ones and sprinkle with lemon or orange zest along with a healthy dose of salt and pepper before placing in a bamboo steamer basket over simmering water. Three to four minutes later and the scallops are just cooked through, plump, tender, and moist.
I’ve taken my steamed fish Southeast Asian, filling banana leaves to form packets of fish with coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger sauce. Less than ten minutes is all it takes for a thick piece of salmon or cod to get flaky and infuse with the aromatic sauce.
This week I wanted fish and a broth but not cooked together, just eaten at the same time. Sometimes the fish can leave a funky impurity to the cooking liquid when braising so I decided to steam the fish and make an aromatic broth separately then marry the two once the fish was just cooked. The fish (I used pike, a cod-like fish from the Northeast) got a quick marinade in white wine and ginger. Meanwhile, I prepped mushrooms, asparagus, and ramps (green onions are a fine substitute) to add into a simple chicken broth to give color, texture, and flavor. The fish steamed, the broth simmered, then the two came together with a drizzle of sesame oil for a flavor boost.
No sticky fish, no messy oil, and not for a second frightening. Every bite of this gingery steamed fish dish was delicious, healthy, and dang if it wasn’t one fast cooking dinner.
P.F. Chang's Steamed Fish with Ginger and Green Onions
Made with fish fillets, salt, sesame oil, white pepper, ginger, green onions, fresh ginger
Made with fish fillets, salt, sesame oil, white pepper, ginger, green onions, fresh ginger
Serves/Makes: 4
- 4 fish fillets (white fish works best such as cod or sea bass)
***Topping***
- 1 dash salt
- 1 dash white pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 slices ginger, smashed
- 3 stalks green onions, smashed
***Garnish***
- 2 teaspoons green onions, julienned
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
- 1 ounce hot (temperature) sesame oil
- 2 ounces sauce (see recipe below)
***Sauce***
- 8 ounces soy sauce
- 10 ounces chicken stock
- 2 ounces sugar
- fresh cilantro sprigs
Top fish with topping ingredients (salt, white pepper, sesame oil, ginger, and green onions) before steaming. Cook fish 7 to 10 minutes, making sure fish doesn't overcook.
Garnish: Remove fish to serving plate. Cover with ginger and green onions. Spread the heated oil over the top to sizzle into the vegetables and fish. Distribute the sauce over the fish. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.
Sauce Instructions: Mix soy sauce, chicken stock and sugar.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/1259-steamed-fish/