Steamed Whole Fish — 清蒸全鱼 Qing Zheng Yu

At Chinese New Year, the fish must be whole. Head and tail. No exceptions.

Because the word for fish : Yu (鱼)  sounds exactly like the word for surplus (余). Nian Nian You Yu (年年有余). Surplus every year, from the beginning to the end. If you cut the head off, there goes the beginning of your year. If you cut the tail off, there goes the end. So the fish stays whole.

This foolproof steaming method comes from my first cookbook, The Asian Market Cookbook. I am sharing it here so you have the complete banquet — but if you want to learn how to navigate your local Asian grocery store and cook restaurant-quality meals at home, [the book has so much more] Find links on my shop page to get your copy!

The three rules for no-fishy smell: scrape the black membrane out of the belly, stuff it with ginger and scallion, and always throw away the steaming liquid. That liquid is where all the fishiness goes. You do not want it.