The waters of the Necluda Sea are filled with a wide variety of fish, as are the many other lakes and waterways of Hyrule. Many of the residents of the seaside village of Lurelin have made a living out of fishing the waters of the Necluda Sea for these fish. They have also developed great expertise in the cooking and preparation of these fish. One of these preparations is Steamed Fish. Using the aromatic vegetation that is native to local Faron region, the fish is wrapped vegetables and greens and then steamed until it is moist and delicate. It is a simple but delicious dish that must be tried when visiting this seaside paradise.
"A refined dish made by wrapping a fresh fish in fragrant wild greens and cooking it."
Since we do not have access to Hyrule vegetables in the real world, I had to determine what aromatic flavors might match that of the local Faron vegetation, including plants like like thistle, safflina, and Hyrule herb. In the end, my mind went to the flavors and aromas of Southeast Asia. I decided to wrap the fish in banana leaf and use aromatics such as lemongrass, ginger, and cilantro to flavor the fish while steaming it. I additionally took the liberty of adding a dipping sauce which uses many of the same aromatics that are being used to steam the fish. The result was a moist and delicate fish mildly accented by the flavor of the aromatics. When dipped in the sauce, the fish was even more delicious. An easy to prepare taste of Lurelin Village and the Faron region!
Ingredients
1 whole Tilapia, or other white fish, gutted and descaled
2 large banana leaves
1 small stalk of lemongrass, sliced
4-5 slices of peeled ginger
1 stalk of green onion, sliced
1 clove of garlic, sliced
4 slices of lime
4-5 sprigs of cilantro
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil
Dipping sauce:
3 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 tbsp lemongrass, thinly sliced
1½ tbsp sugar
¼ cup hot water
Note: To prepare the lemongrass, slice off any leaves from the top of the stalk. Slice the leaves off about ¼ inch below the bottom of the leaves. Slice the bulb part of the root off at the indentation where the bulb joins the rest of the stalk. Now, peel off any layers of the dark green outer husk of the stalk until you reach the light green and white interior. This is the part we will use. Slice the light green and white part of the stalk.
Make sure your tilapia (or other white fish) is gutted and descaled. Ensure that it’s gutted well enough to be able to stuff the herbs and aromatics inside of the fish. You can do this yourself or have your fish monger or grocer do it for you (or buy a whole fish already cleaned and scaled).
Fill a stock pot (with a double boiler/steamer insert) about ¼ of the way with water. Place the pot over high heat and allow it to come to boil.
While the pot comes to a boil, prepare the fist for steaming. Lay out one of the banana leaves. Make sure it is large enough to wrap the fish. (You can layer smaller ones together if necessary.) Rinse the leaf in water and pat it dry first, if it is dirty. Rinse the fish inside and out in water, and gently pat it dry.
Generously season the fish with salt and black pepper on both sides and inside of the cavity of the fish. Use your fingers to rub the seasoning up inside the cavity if necessary. Stuff the lime slices, ginger slices, garlic slices, lemongrass, green onion, and cilantro sprigs inside the cavity of the fish. You basically want to stuff as much of it in there. It’s okay if you can’t get it all in, but get a decent amount of each aromatic inside the cavity.
Now, rub the inside of the banana leaf with vegetable oil. This will prevent the fish from sticking to it. Lay the stuffed fish on the oiled banana leaf, and carefully fold the leaf around the fish, tucking the ends so the leave stays firmly closed. You can also gently, but snugly, tie the leaf around the fish with kitchen twine. You can leave the head exposed if you wish to be able to monitor when the fish is done steaming.
Place the wrapped fish into the double boiler/steamer insert, and place the insert into position on top of the boiling stock pot. Place the pot lid on the insert. Turn the heat down to medium and allow the fish to steam for 20-25 minutes. Smaller fish may finish steaming in 15 minutes. The fish is done when the skin can be easily separated from the meat of the fish and the eye turns an opaque white.
To make the dipping sauce:
Add the garlic, ginger, and lemongrass to a small bowl, then add the lemon juice and stir. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes to soften the sharpness of the ingredients. Add the sugar and hot water. Gently stir until the sugar fully dissolved. Lastly, add the fish sauce and stir to fully blend.
When the fish has finished steaming, carefully remove the steamer insert from the pot with oven mitts and set it on a towel or in the sink. Carefully unwrap the banana leaf and gently remove as much of the aromatics from inside the fish as possible. Be careful not to split or damage the fragile cooked fish in the process. Place the other cleaned banana leaf on your serving platter, and gently, using spatulas, lift the fish from the cooked banana leaf and onto the platter. The fish is ready to serve! Serve the fish family style. I recommend giving each person a bowl of rice and a small bowl with a portion of the dipping sauce. Eat the steamed fish with the dipping sauce. Enjoy!
Learn more about the Steamed Fish dish from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at Zelda Dungeon.