A light, steamed fish dish with big, bold flavors

The first time I had to test a recipe for steamed fish was back in the ‘80s, when I was working in the test kitchen at Gourmet magazine. And truthfully, the very idea seemed preposterous.

Steaming anything over water had always struck me as boring. And the idea that you could count on a good result by applying such an intense method to a protein as delicate as fish seemed highly unlikely.

But the recipe in question relied on the Chinese method of steaming fish, and I became a believer the very first time I tried it. As is typical in Chinese cuisine, the secret is in the seasoning. Given their...