Steamed Whole Pike

Ingredients

• 1 whole pike (about 1.6 kg, ready to cook; gutted)
• 50 g ginger (1 piece)
• 3 tbsp Soy sauce
• 2 bunches scallions
• 4 tbsp fermented black beans (canned; from the Asian store)
• 2 dried red chili peppers
• 1 tbsp oil
• 0.5 bunch cilantro
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 pork net (about 50x50 cm, order in advance from the butcher)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Rinse the fish, optionally cut off head and tail. Make shallow cuts on both sides of the fish up to the backbone several times and place it on a plate that fits into a wok and is deep enough to hold all ingredients.

2. 2.

   Peel half of the ginger, grate finely, put in a fine sieve and squeeze out the juice. (Or press through a garlic press and catch the juice.) Mix ginger juice with soy sauce, drizzle over the fish and also add some to the cuts.

3. 3.

   Peel remaining ginger and cut into thin sticks. Clean scallions, wash them and slice diagonally into 1 cm long pieces.

4. 4.

   Lightly crush black beans with a knife. Break up chili peppers.

5. 5.

   Mix ginger, scallions, beans, chili, and oil; pour everything over the fish.

6. 6.

   Wash cilantro, shake dry, pick leaves, tear roughly, and sprinkle over the fish as well.

7. 7.

   Thoroughly rinse pork net cold and lay it over the plate with the fish.

8. 8.

   For steaming fill a wok about 5 cm high with water. Place a rack or inverted plate inside, set the plate with the fish on top (above the water surface) and seal the wok. Bring water to a vigorous boil and steam the fish for 20-25 minutes. Before serving remove the pork net and drizzle sesame oil over the fish.