I had the honour and pleasure to cook with the one and only Mark Wiens! Together we made one of my all time favourite fish dishes in Thai cuisine. Pla Gapong Neung Manao ปลากะพงนึ่งมะนาว is a classic fish dish you'll find in any Thai seafood restaurant you go to, and it happens to be one of the easiest and quickest Thai dishes you can make at home.
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The traditional recipe uses a whole fish, but you can use also filets or steaks, just be sure to reduce the cooking time accordingly. You can also substitute shrimp, and if you have my cookbook Sabai, there is a shrimp version of this dish in there!
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Steamed Fish with Lime Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb whole barramundi or another white fish, , guts and gills removed (see note 1)
- 1 stalk lemongrass, bottom half only, smashed and cut in chunks
- ½ cup good chicken stock or fish stock
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped palm sugar
- 4 tablespoon lime juice
- 3 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 head garlic, chopped
- Thai chilies, to taste, finely chopped
- 8-10 sprigs cilantro, chopped
- 1 stalk Chinese celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
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Notes
- Barramundi (Asian sea bass) is the most common fish used for this recipe, but it will work will with any other white fish such as tilapia, branzino or sea bass.
FULL VIDEO TUTORIAL
All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video to ensure success. If you enjoy them, consider subscribing to the YouTube Channel to not miss an episode. Thank you!
Subscribe to my YouTube ChannelInstructions
- Score the fish by making 3 diagonal incisions on each side of the fish, making sure the cuts on the two sides are perpendicular to each other. Stuff the belly of the fish with the lemongrass and place on a plate. Steam the fish over fully boiling water for about 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of the fish. (For the massive one we used in the video, it took 20 minutes)1.5 lb whole barramundi or another white fish, 1 stalk lemongrass
- Meanwhile, heat the stock and the sugar over medium high heat until the stock boils and the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour into a bowl. To the hot stock, add garlic, chilies, fish sauce and lime juice; stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning.½ cup good chicken stock or fish stock, 1 tablespoon finely chopped palm sugar, 3 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 head garlic, Thai chilies, 4 tablespoon lime juice
- When the fish is done, transfer the fish onto a serving platter. Stuff most of the Chinese celery leaves around the sides of the fish. Add the chopped cilantro into the sauce and stir to mix. Pour the sauce over the fish. Garnish with extra Chinese celery leaves and serve with some jasmine rice.1 stalk Chinese celery, 8-10 sprigs cilantro
Yoko Aoki says
I like the way you add on ingredients needed in every stage of cooking method - so helpful, easy understanding when I need to put the ingredients in every single step! Easy to follow☺️. Not many other sites do that !
Keep doing a great job. I am following your recipes out of others.
My favorite site😘
Cookingie says
Could you please share the link to the plate lifter you used in the video? Thank you.
Pailin Chongchitnant says
If you look up "steamer tongs" you should come across several options. And most Chinese grocery stores sell them also.
Staya says
Delicious recipe!
Christina says
I can NOT find the written version ANYWHERE anymore.
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Weird, the recipe DID disappear for some strange reason. It's been added back now, sorry about that!
Alisha C Nguyen says
This recipe is proof that fish doesn't need to be fried to be tasty! Since I don't have a steamer, I put the fish on a rack inside a roasting pan, covered with cabbage leaves, poured boiling water inside and covered the roaster. With the oven on 425 degrees, the cooking time was the same as the recipe.
Futile Resistance says
Amazing taste, easy to make and feels healthy to eat
Tracey L. says
You are incredible Pai! I'm a huge fan and soo grateful i found you. I was able to make this recipe easily based on your very detail instructions. Soo happy! It tastes incredible and just like Thailand wowwww I love it! Going to make your roast chicken next then curry and pad Thai. You're a superstar!
Robert says
Simple to prepare, yet makes for an impressive presentation, this dish is a favorite. The garlic (lots of it)/lime/chili sauce flavors the fish nicely.