Pla Nueng See Lew (Steamed Fish in Soy Sauce)

ปลานึ่งซีอิ๊ว

Pla nueng see lew is the quiet star of Thai Chinese-style cooking — a whole fish, steamed on a bed of ginger, then dressed at the table with hot soy, sesame oil and fine shreds of ginger, spring onion and chilli. It is the dish ordered for celebrations and family meals, and it appears on UK Thai menus alongside its louder lime-and-chilli cousin, pla neung ma nao.

The dish is Cantonese at heart — think steamed sea bass in soy, Hong Kong style — but Thai cooks make it sweeter and heavier on the ginger, and they steam the fish on the bone, always whole.

The Recipe (serves 2 · ~45 min)

Allergens: fish, soy, gluten, sesame · Suitable for: dairy-free

For the fish

For the soy dressing

The Method

1. Prep the fish. Score the fish two or three times on each side so it cooks evenly and takes the sauce. Lay it on a steaming plate over sliced ginger and crushed garlic — the ginger under the fish is what kills any fishy smell.
2. Steam. Mix the dressing ingredients and pour half over the fish, scattering the mushrooms and some ginger on top. Steam over fiercely boiling water, covered, for about 20–30 minutes depending on size — the flesh should flake at the thickest part.
3. Finish. Lift the plate out and scatter the julienned ginger, spring onion and chilli over the fish. Heat the remaining dressing until it just boils and pour it over — the hot sauce wilts the garnish and brings up the aroma. Serve in the steaming dish.

The ginger underneath

One detail matters more than any other: the ginger goes under the fish. A bed of sliced ginger and crushed garlic lifts the fish off the plate and steams it from below, and the ginger's vapour neutralises the compounds that make steamed fish smell fishy. Fish steamed on a bare plate, no matter how fresh, tastes noticeably duller.

Hot sauce at the table

The dressing is poured over at the last second, boiling, so it wilts the raw garnish and releases the sesame and ginger aromas all at once. It is a finishing move worth keeping — the difference between a steamed fish and a great one.

Serving

• Rice: Steamed jasmine rice and the sauce spooned over
• Order: Serve the fish whole at the table and carve it there

Cook's Tips

• The ginger goes under the fish, not just on it. That is the trick that removes any muddy or fishy note.
• Steam with the lid on and water truly boiling — a weak steam poaches the fish grey and watery.
• Any firm white fish works; in the UK sea bass, bream or tilapia are the best. Snowfish and grouper are the Thai favourites.

Variations

• Lime version (pla neung ma nao). The same steam but dressed with lime, chilli and garlic instead of soy — bright, sour, completely different. See our pla kapong neung manao recipe.
• Microwave shortcut. One Wongnai version steams a snowfish fillet in a covered dish at 600W for 7 minutes — fast and surprisingly clean.

Sources

This recipe is translated from the following Thai-language sources. Where they disagree, we've said so.