Domi-jjim (Steamed Sea Bream)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large steamer, wide wok with rack, or roasting pan with rack and tight cover
• •Heatproof oval platter at least 14 inches long
• •Small nonstick skillet for jidan
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Sharp knife for scoring whole fish

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean and score

   Rinse the fish inside and out, then scrape away any dark blood line along the backbone with the tip of a spoon. Pat it very dry. Make 3 diagonal cuts on each side, about 2cm deep, down to the bone but not through the spine. Rub the fish and cavity with the kosher salt, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheongju and 1 teaspoon ginger juice. Rest 20 minutes, then blot again. Wet fish waters the sauce and tears more easily.

   Ask the fishmonger to scale, gut, and remove the gills, but check the belly yourself. A celebration dish still begins with clean work.
2. 2

   Soak mushrooms

   Cover the dried shiitake mushrooms with 1 cup hot water and soak 20 minutes, until flexible. Squeeze them dry, trim away the stems, and slice the caps into thin strips. Strain and save 3 tablespoons of the soaking liquid for the sauce. Dried shiitake gives a deeper, steadier flavor than fresh here.

3. 3

   Cook the filling

   Mix the beef with the sliced shiitake, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, the minced scallion, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook in a small skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the beef loses its raw color and the mushrooms turn glossy. Cool it before it touches the fish. My teacher steamed the filling raw in a larger kitchen; at home, cooking it first protects the timing so the fish does not overcook while the beef catches up.

4. 4

   Make jidan

   Beat the egg yolks with a pinch of the fine salt. Beat the whites separately with another pinch, then strain them if you want a cleaner sheet. Wipe a small nonstick pan with the neutral oil and cook each color over low heat into thin, unbrowned sheets. Cut into fine threads or small diamonds. Low heat matters because browned jidan tastes eggy and heavy, and this dish wants clear color.

5. 5

   Prepare colors

   Blanch the carrot in salted water for 30 seconds and the minari or scallion greens for 10 seconds, then drain and pat dry. Keep the yellow jidan, white jidan, carrot, greens, red chili threads, ginkgo nuts, and pine nuts in separate small bowls. Obangsaek, the five-color balance, is not confetti. Each color should read clearly.

6. 6

   Mix sauce

   Stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons strained shiitake soaking liquid, remaining 1 tablespoon cheongju, remaining 1 teaspoon ginger juice, remaining 1 teaspoon sugar, remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil, remaining 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Taste it now. It should be savory and lightly sweet, not salty enough to bully the fish.

7. 7

   Set the steamer

   Bring 2 inches of water to a steady boil in a wide steamer, wok, or roasting pan fitted with a rack. Line a heatproof platter with the radish rounds and 4-inch scallion lengths, then lay the fish on top. Tuck the beef and shiitake filling into the diagonal cuts and a little into the belly cavity. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the sauce over the fish. The radish and scallion lift the fish, perfume it gently, and keep the skin from sticking.

8. 8

   Steam to done

   Cover tightly and steam the fish for 18 to 22 minutes, depending on thickness. At the 10-minute mark, spoon another 2 tablespoons of sauce over the top and cover again. The fish is done when the thickest flesh near the backbone reaches 63°C, or when it separates cleanly from the bone and looks opaque all the way through. Do not keep cooking for courage. Whole fish forgives a little, not a lot.

   If your lid leaks, wrap it in a clean kitchen towel before covering so water does not drip onto the jidan later.
9. 9

   Finish sauce

   Carefully lift out the platter. Pour the juices from the platter into a small pan with any remaining sauce and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, just until glossy and slightly concentrated. Spoon this over the fish. This is a dressing, not a glaze to hide mistakes, so keep it light.

10. 10

    Garnish and serve

    Arrange the yellow jidan, white jidan, beef and shiitake, carrot, greens, red chili, ginkgo nuts, and pine nuts in neat bands over the fish, leaving the head and tail visible. Serve at once with rice and quiet banchan. Cut along the backbone at the table and lift the flesh away in pieces. Domi-jjim asks for care, then gives the table a whole fish to share.

Chef Tips

• •Domi is best from late winter into spring, when the flesh is firm and sweet. Cook the month you're standing in: if the sea bream at your market looks tired, choose a very fresh whole sea bass or rockfish and keep the method honest.
• •Measure the fish against your steamer before you begin. A beautiful fish bent to fit a small pot is already mistreated. If needed, use a roasting pan with a rack and a tight foil cover over two burners.
• •Do not make the sauce darker because it feels festive. Sea bream is mild. Too much soy turns the dish into salt and color, and the fish disappears.
• •The safe shortcut is making jidan and garnish ahead. The unsafe shortcut is rough scoring. Even cuts let the filling sit neatly and help the thick flesh cook at the same pace as the belly.

Advance Preparation

• •The shiitake can be soaked and sliced 1 day ahead. Save the soaking liquid separately and refrigerate it.
• •The beef and shiitake filling can be cooked 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it close to room temperature before tucking it into the fish so it heats evenly.
• •The jidan, carrot, minari or scallion greens, and chili threads can be prepared up to 8 hours ahead and kept covered in separate containers. Keep the colors separate until serving.
• •Steam the fish just before the meal. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, but the garnish will soften and the fish is never as fine as it is on the first table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)