STEAMED SEA BASS IN NAPA CABBAGE

Steamed Sea Bass in Napa Cabbage image

This delicious steamed sea bass in napa cabbage is courtesy of chef Michael Schulson.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories Food & Cooking Ingredients Seafood Recipes

Number Of Ingredients 18

Ingredients

1 piece fresh ginger (4 inches), peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon chile oil
Scallions, julienned, for garnish
Julienned fresh peeled ginger, for garnish
1/4 cup grape seed oil, heated
1 1/2 pounds sea bass, cut into 8 pieces, approximately 2 by 4 inches each
2 tablespoons sacha sauce (Chinese barbecue sauce)
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup grape seed oil, heated
1 tablespoon minced red finger chile
Coarse salt
8 leaves napa cabbage, tough stems removed

Steps:

To make the sea bass, place the fish in a baking dish just large enough to hold them in single layer. In a small bowl, mix together the sacha sauce, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, oil, and chile. Pour the mixture over the fish, cover, and let marinate refrigerated for 2 hours.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt, and bring the water back to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath. Add the cabbage leaves to the boiling water, and cook until they are tender but still retain their crispness, about 1 minute. Remove the leaves from the water, and immediately plunge them into the ice-water bath. Allow the cabbage leaves to cool for about 1 minute in the ice-water bath, and then pat dry using paper towels.
Remove 1 piece of fish from the marinade; place on a cabbage leaf about 1 inch from the edge. Fold in the left and right edges of leaf, and then roll the fish up in the leaf to enclose completely. Place seam side down in a bamboo steamer basket. Repeat process with remaining fish and cabbage leaves.
Fill a large skillet with water and bring to a boil. Place bamboo steamer into the skillet and cover. Steam the fish until the edges of the fish are firm and white, about 6 minutes.
To make the sauce, place the ginger in a small food processor and process until pureed. Transfer the ginger puree onto a paper towel. Over a medium bowl, squeeze the ginger in the paper towel until all the ginger juice is extracted from the pulp; discard pulp. Add the oyster sauce, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and oil to the ginger juice and whisk together.
Place 2 of the wrapped fish rolls on each of 4 heatproof plates. Drizzle sauce around fish. Garnish fish with scallions and ginger. Carefully pour 1 tablespoon heated grape seed oil over scallions and ginger. Serve immediately.