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Silky smooth Chinese Steamed Cod Fish Recipe is super simple yet incredibly delicious. With 6 ingredients only, this Chinese fish fillet recipe is tender, nutritious and full of flavor. I love the drama of pouring the hot oil over the cod fish and watching the ginger and scallion topping sizzle! You don’t need a bamboo steamer. Let me show you how to make this Chinese steamed fish cod recipe, using an oven or air fryer!
Table of Contents
Chinese Steamed Fish with Ginger Scallion Sauce (Paleo, Whole30, Low carb, Gluten-free)
People often said simple food is the best and this Chinese steamed cod fish recipe is a classic example. The dish is so good that it never ceased to amaze me how simple it is to make.
Steamed cod fish with ginger and scallion sauce is one of the most popular and easiest seafood recipes in China and Taiwan. And it is a popular dish during Chinese New Year. Here’s why –
The pronunciation of Fish (yu, 魚) has the same pronunciation as Surplus (yu, 余) in Mandarin. Eating fish during New Year means wishing the family more resources and fortune than we need year after year. So more reason to eat fish!
Traditionally Chinese steamed fish recipe uses whole fish. To keep today’s recipe simple and practical for every day, I use fish fillets instead. I use cod fish fillets however, any white flaky fish fillets will work just perfectly!
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How to steam fish without a steamer?
The answer is En Papillote! The fish is wrapped inside of a parchment paper pouch and cooked and steamed in its own juice and added sauce. The enclosed pouch traps the moisture inside thus the fish is juicy and tender. Air fryer is basically a small convection oven that cooks by circulating hot air around the food so this is a little hack I use to steam the fish without a bamboo steamer!
How to wrap fish in parchment paper?
1. First, pat dry the fish with paper towels to remove as much liquid and dampness as possible. The cod fish will be juicier inside when it’s done.
2. Fold one piece of parchment paper in half and place 1 fish fillet in the center and closer to the seam. Fold the parchment paper over so the two ends meet, enclosing the food.
3. Beginning at either end of the center crease, make small, overlapping diagonal folds around the filling, pleating it all around to make a semicircular airtight package that looks like a half-moon shape calzone.
4. Seal the packet tight. You might need to twist and fold the end tip to secure the envelope.
Freezer meal prep version! No need to cook in advance!
Place the fish pouch inside a gallon size freezer-friendly bag. Place the chopped ginger, scallions, and chilies inside the ziplock bag. Store them flat in the freezer until solid. See more info in the recipe note section on how to cook this dish from frozen!
Now comes my favorite part – the drama! Pour the hot oil over the fish and watch the ginger, scallions, and red chilies bubble and sizzle on contact. This step also partially cooked the aromatics and released more aroma. It’s not only fun to watch but also makes the sauce Extra Delicious!
Pairings for Steamed Cod Fish Fillets
- Chinese Broccoli in Garlic Sauce
- Chinese Broccoli with Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
- Sauteed Swiss Chard with Chickpea Miso Butter
- Easy Sautéed Cabbage
More seafood dishes
- Baked Cod with Herb Lemon Butter
- Broiled cod with miso
- Vietnamese Garlic Shrimp
- Low Carb Seafood Dim Sum
- Baked Cod with Panko Crust!
Chinese steamed fish with cod in ginger and scallion sauce is truly a classic family dish. The cod fillets are melt-in-your-mouth buttery soft and that sauce is heavenly delicious…Umami to the max!
Because the fish is steamed inside of a parchment paper pouch, you can easily make this Chinese fish recipe, using an air fryer or oven. Serve this dish hot immediately and pair it with your favorite vegetable saute and a bowl of hot soup, this is a timeless everyday low-carb meal that’s totally worth the effort to give it a try.
Chinese Steamed Cod Fish with Ginger Scallion Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Cod fish fillets boneless/skinless at about 1-inch thick
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos or 1 tbsp gluten free tamari
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
- 3 bulbs scallions chopped
- 0.8 oz. Fresno or serrano red chilies seeds removed and finely chopped
- 4 tbsp avocado oil
Equipment
- 2 pieces of 15-inch x 13-inch Parchment paper
Instructions
- Slice the cod fillet into two equal weight pieces, ½ lb each fillet. Pat dry with a paper towel.
- Fold one piece of the parchment paper in half and place 1 fish fillet in the center and closer to the seam. Repeat with the other half of the fish.
- Season each filet with ¼ tsp coarse salt, 1 tbsp coconut aminos, and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil.
- To make a paper pouch: Fold the paper over so the two ends meet, enclosing the food. Beginning at either end of the center crease, make small, overlapping diagonal folds around the filling, pleating it all around to make a semicircular airtight package that looks like a half-moon shape calzone. Seal the packet tight. You might need to twist and fold the end tip to secure the envelope.
- If use air fryer: place 1 packet inside of the basket. Lightly press the paper pouch down so it won’t get burnt. Air fry at 300F for 15 minutes or until the fish is soft and flaky. Test with a skewer, if it goes in easily, the fish is done. If not, air fry for 5 additional minutes. If your fish is thinner than 1-inch, reduce the cook time by 5 minutes.
- If use oven: Place both packets over a large sheet pan. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes or until the fish is buttery soft. The exact bake time will depend on the thickness of the fish fillets and type of fish.
- In the meantime, finely chop ginger, scallions, and chili peppers. Divide them into 2 equal piles.
- When the fish is about 5 minutes away from ready, in a heavy bottom saucepan, heat up the avocado oil over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Cover the saucepan with a lid but leave a small gap open to allow air to come-in.
- Carefully remove the fish pouch. Let cool for 3 minutes before using a kitchen scissors to cut open the packet (be careful of the hot steam). Add the aromatics – ginger, scallions, and chilies – on top of the fillets and season with a pinch of salt.
- Carefully pour half amount of the hot oil over each fillet and the aromatics on top. Serve hot and immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Also check out my Keto scallion pancakes, Keto kimchi pancakes, and Keto Dim Sum-Shumai!
This has become one of my favorite go-to weekly meals to make. It is incredibly fast and easy and the flavors are insane. The way the umami flavors of the sesame oil balance out the fresh and spicy ginger, scallions and peppers makes for the perfect flavor combination. I wake up craving this dish very frequently and plan to continue to cook this for years to come. Thank you for this beautiful recipe!
Thank you so much, Lindsay! Appreciate it very much!
This is so simple and so delicious. I have been craving it since I made it. The flavor combination is amazing and I will make this dish time and time again!
Thank you, Elizabeth!
This is such an easy and delicious recipe. I will make this over and over again. Love the sizzle and all the amazing flavors!
This is so easy and so delicious! Definitely adding this to my menu rotation!
Quick, healthy, and delicious main!
So good! I feel so fancy when I make this, the sizzle 🤩. My husband said it was one of the best things he’s eaten. So easy too! I served with broccolini
Lovely! Haha it’s a simple dish but definitely makes you feel special when you make it! 😀
It’s a simple kind of tasty.. I think my expectations though was for it to look like the picture coming out? I followed the directions to a T ( so I think) but in your pic the fish looks white and sauce is on bottom.. in my reality the sauce soaked up in the fish so a lot of it was brown from coconut aminos and sesame.? I also cooked mine in the oven.. any pointers would be great I will make again. thank you
Hi Stacie, thank you! What’s the thickness of your cod fillet? Also different oven and air fryer have slightly different cook time and temperature controls…etc. I’d recommend using thicker cut of white fish (I use cod, halibut should work, too!) and maybe reduce the cook time (and add more if needed) and see if that works. :))
I love this recipe!! It is so amazing! My mouth was just exploding with flavors! Must try!!
Thank you so much!
So what do I do if I WANT to steam in my bamboo steamer? so i put the packet int he steamer? Our oven is broke at the moment, lol. And we do not own an air fryer. Thanks!
Hey Angela, I would still place the fish in the sealed pouch. Try steam it for 15-20 minutes first and see if the fillet flakes easily and is buttery soft. If not, add another 5 or 10 minutes or so. 🙂 Hope that helps!
This recipe is amazing! I love many of the recipes you provide but this was easy and sooo flavorful. A great healthy weeknight meal that I would even make for company. This recipe is going to be on repeat at my house.
Lovely! So happy to hear!