Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Cantonese Steamed Eel with Black Bean Sauce
豉汁蒸白鱔
Recipe overview
Thick eel pieces are steamed with garlic black bean sauce until tender, giving deep savoury aroma without masking the fish.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 700 g cleaned freshwater eel
- 3 cloves garlic
- 15 g ginger
- 2 spring onions
Fish marinade
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
Black bean sauce
- 1.5 tbsp fermented black beans
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp water
02
Tools
- chopping board
- kitchen knife
- mixing bowl
- heatproof plate
- covered steamer wok
- wok spatula
- food thermometer
03
Steps
Step 1
Prepare the eel
Rinse the eel briefly, pat it dry, cut into 2 cm-thick pieces and place in a mixing bowl.
Step 2
Marinate the fish
Mix in Shaoxing wine, cornstarch and white pepper; marinate for 10 minutes.
Step 3
Rinse the beans
Rinse the fermented black beans quickly and drain; do not soak away their aroma.
Step 4
Cut the aromatics
Mince the garlic, shred the ginger, dice the white spring onion parts and shred the green parts.
Step 5
Mix the sauce
Lightly crush the beans and mix with garlic, spring onion whites, soy sauce, sugar, oil and water.
Step 6
Arrange the plate
Arrange the eel in a single layer on a heatproof plate without overlapping.
Step 7
Add the sauce
Spread the black bean sauce evenly over every eel piece and add the ginger.
Step 8
Boil the steaming water
Add enough water to the steamer wok, cover and bring to a steady boil over high heat.
Step 9
Steam on high
Place the plate in the steamer, cover and steam over high heat for 8 to 10 minutes.
Step 10
Check doneness
The thickest flesh should be opaque, separate easily and reach 63°C; steam in 1-minute increments if needed.
Step 11
Rest safely
Turn off the heat, open the lid away from you to avoid steam, and rest the eel for 1 minute.
Step 12
Finish and serve
Scatter over the green spring onion strips and serve hot with the sauce from the plate.
Common mistakes
- Cutting uneven pieces so they cook at different rates.
- Soaking the fermented beans too long and losing their aroma.
- Starting the timer before the water is boiling.
- Overlapping the eel so the centre cooks slowly.
Tips
Ask the fishmonger to clean the eel and keep raw and cooked tools separate at home. Time the steaming only after the water returns to a boil and check the thickest piece.
