Fish play a large role in festive celebrations. The word for fish, "Yu," sounds like the words both for wish and abundance.
As a result, on New Year's Eve it is customary to serve a fish at the end of the evening meal, symbolizing a wish for abundance in the coming year. For added symbolism, the fish is served whole, with head and tail attached, symbolizing a good beginning and ending for the coming year.
The ritual also calls for serving half of the fish as the last dish of the New Year's feast and the rest on the following day, as leftovers are considered a sign of prosperity. It is also customary to place the fish on the table so that it points toward the guest of honor.
When shopping for fish, it is imperative to choose fish that is extremely fresh. Fresh fish don't smell "fishy." If you can smell it, don't buy it! Look for clear, vibrant eyes, bright red gills, and flesh that feels firm, bouncing right back when you press it.
If you can, pick the fish up by its gills. In a newly caught fish, the gill should be blood red. As the fish sits after death, the gill turns rusty red, then paler pink, then brown and finally gray. A pink gill is acceptable but a brown gill is definitely not.
If you want an adventure, buy your fish in Chinatown where a lot of it is alive and swimming in tanks. For the Chinese, fresh means alive and the Chinese have no compunction about checking for freshness.
But if you are less adventurous, the fish counter at Golden Produce, New Mission Market or Whole Foods have the best fish in the city.
The Chinese don't share the Western phobias for fish parts. The plump, velvety cheeks are a delicacy and the eyes are reserved for honored guests.
In Cantonese cooking, it is believed that steaming the fish with only the barest seasonings is the best way to show off it's freshness and is an unsurpassed way to seal in juices and flavors.
1 (4 pound) whole rockfish or Pacific snapper, cleaned and dressed
1/4 cup vegetable oil or sesame oil
1 or 2 green onions, thinly sliced diagonally
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchstick strips
1/2 cup soy sauce (salt reduced. You can also use Ponzu soy sauce, which has lemon added for a delicate flavor).
Fill a large pot half full with water and place a bamboo steamer with lid on top of the pot. Bring to a rolling boil. Scrub the scales off of the fish and rinse with cold water and a little white vinegar. Place the fish onto a small metal plate, belly side down.
Place into the steamer and cover. Cook until the fish is no longer opaque, and flakes easily, 10 to 12 minutes. Try not to take the lid off the pot until it is done steaming; this will ensure a fully cooked and tender fish.
While the fish is steaming, combine the vegetable or sesame oil, green onions, and ginger in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the ginger bubbles. Carefully pour the hot oil over the steamed fish. Drizzle with soy sauce to serve.
If you want to cook this fish in the microwave, cover the fish with plastic wrap on a microwave dish and cook for 3 minutes on high. Let stand for 2 minutes and rotate the dish. Cook an additional 2 minutes on high.
The key to the sauce is to be careful not to burn the ginger and the green onions. You should heat the oil first and then add the ginger and green onions for only 30 seconds to a minute. You will see the ginger bubble. Smell the aroma. If you can smell it, then turn it off. If you don't, then the ginger and green onions will burn.
You can change the recipe by using different seasonings, such as chili peppers, and garnishing with garlic, chopped cilantro, or shredded peppers. You can also increase the ginger for a stronger flavor.
New Mission Market
2590 Mission St
(between 21st St & 22nd St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 282-3331
Golden Produce
172 Church St
Between Duboce and Market
(between 14th St & Market St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
Neighborhood: Castro
(415) 431-1536
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