20/04/2026
Steamed Baby Barra with ginger and spring onions ( Plaa neung king )
Serves 4 to 6, with rice.
A small barramundi is the most popular fish to use for this dish in Thailand but you can also use any snapper, black bream or small red emperor. Actually, almost any white-fleshed fish will do. A whole fish produces a better flavor once cooked, but you can of course use 200 g of fish fillets if you prefer.
We prefer to steam in a bamboo steamer –one that sits in a pan or a wok. ¬but you must make sure there is sufficient water in the pan or wok at all times, otherwise the steaming can soon become smoking. A metal steamer is also fine for the job – just make sure it is large enough to accommodate your fish, or rather the plate on which the fish is to be steamed. If you want to make a sauce when steaming the fish – and you do – you will need to place it on a plate, one large enough to hold the fish but also fit snugly into the steamer. Try it first before getting everything ready.
Ingredients
800–1000 g fish – ideally a small barramundi – cleaned
2–3 tablespoons Megachef oyster sauce
2–3 tablespoons stock or water
a pinch of white sugar – optional
a pinch of ground white pepper
1 teaspoon deep-fried garlic
4 cm piece ginger, peeled then shredded
2 or 3 chopped cleaned spring onions
2 steams Asian celery, cleaned and chopped – optional
Method
Score the fish. Scoring simply means cutting into the flesh of the fish. This ensures even and quicker cooking; it also means that a greater amount of the flesh becomes infused with the flavors of the sauce during the steaming. There are many ways to score a fish: most Asian cooks prefer to cross-score that is, slicing deeply into the fish three or four times along its length, then making three or four more cuts right angles to the first cuts. On the other hand, I like a simpler style, cut just one way. Place the scored fish on a plate. In a small bowl, mix the oyster sauce with the stock or water, sugar (if using), pepper and deep-fried garlic. Pour over the fish, then sprinkle with half of the shredded ginger. Place the fish in the steamer and steam over a low heat until cooked – and it must be cooked to the bone. This could take as long as 35 minutes, depending on the size of the fish. Once cooked, carefully remove the fish from the steamer, and scatter with the remaining ginger, spring onions and Asian celery leaves. Serve with steamed rice. Enjoy!
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