Steamed Asian-style Sea Bass and Veggies

There's nothing quite like fish caught from someone you know. Just like Jenn and Eric's trout, I consider something like this one of the best gifts of all.

My husband's cousin Mark caught this beauty out East in the Atlantic Ocean. Some went to my father-in-law, the rest, to us – 2 massive pieces that have been sitting in our freezer waiting for that oh-so-perfect moment. That perfect moment was last night, and then again tonight (that's how big the pieces were!) And, unsurprisingly, my husband prepared them beautifully.

If you are so lucky to get fresh caught fish delivered to your door, I highly recommend this recipe.

What you'll need

4 fillets of sea bass (about 6oz each), skin removed

Sea salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 cup fresh ginger, cut into thin strips

1 cup of finely sliced shiitake mushrooms

2tbs chopped fresh cilantro

4 green onions, sliced diagonally

2tbs regular or chile-infused sesame oil

1/2 cup soy sauce

sesame seeds (optional, we added this the second night)

What to do

Bring water to a boil under a metal or bamboo steamer. Sprinkle sea bass with salt, black pepper and cayenne. Place on a piece of parchment paper inside steamer. Top with ginger and shiitakes, cover and steam 15 minutes. Remove fish and place on a plate. Sprinkle cilantro and green onions on fish. Drizzle with juices from parchment.

In a small sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until smoking. Pour some oil over each fillet to wilt cilantro and green onions. Drizzle plates with soy sauce. On our second helping, we also added black toasted sesame seeds – yum!

Enjoy with your favourite veg. In our case, carrots and asparagus. And a lovely Chardonnay – we cracked open an unfiltered Chardonnay from Norman Hardie that we brought back from our Prince Edward County tour.