Steamed Cobia, Asian Style

Using some gift cards we received from the wedding, I purchased some essentials. Heavy duty measuring cups, new cookie sheets, and stacking steamer baskets. You know, the usual. So looking forward to using them and going with my new 'thing' of wanting to eat more seafood, I found a recipe that just sounded delicious! And it was. It was healthy and flavorful and delicious. It calls for fresh lemongrass, but similar to the Wicked Thai Chicken Soup I made a while back, using lemongrass paste worked very well. I found this recipe from 80 Breakfasts, one of my favorite blogs to find great food at. The original recipe calls to use a whole fish, which I would love to do one day, but for now I just stuck with a fillet of Cobia. I think Cobia is now one of my favorite fish. I was originally looking to use Cod, but for about a month I couldn't find it fresh anywhere down here. My local fish monger had quite a good looking pile of freshly cut up Cobia for a decent price, so I went with that. I know I've had it before, but I don't recall how or where. It's a very thick, firm, and white fish. The taste is very good alone, and because of how thick the flakes are, I would imagine this fish grills very well. Steamed Cobia, Asian Style
Printable Recipe
By Kacey's Kitchen, slightly adapted from 80 Breakfasts

• 1 lb Cobia fillet
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
• Half a lemon, sliced
• 1 white onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp lemongrass paste
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced on the diagonal
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1-2 tbsp fish sauce
• 3-4 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

1. Line a bamboo steamer with parchment so it comes up over the sides. Line the parchment with the onion slices, some ginger slices, and a few slices of lemon. Lay the Cobia on top.
   
2. Top the fish with the remaining ginger and lemon, lemongrass, leeks, and most of the cilantro, leaving a few stems for garnish.
3. Top everything with the soy sauce, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Fold sides of parchment over the fish (it doesn’t have to cover it completely), and cover.
   
4. While you are arranging your fish, fill a wok with enough water not to touch the steamer when you lay it inside. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower to a fast simmer.
   
5. When the fish is ready and the water in the wok is at a fast simmer, carefully place steamer on the wok.
6. Steam fish for about 20 minutes. You may need more or less time depending on the size of your fish so check for doneness before taking it off the heat. Simply open the steamer, and insert a small knife into the fleshiest part of the fish, if it flakes easily it’s done.
7. Turn of the heat and remove fish from the bamboo steamer. Serve with the remaining cilantro.