Thai-style steamed fish
A hearty Thai seafood built around trout, red chilli and baby pak koi — roughly 45 minutes start to finish, and rated easy to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 4 steps.
You'll mainly reach for pan and saucepan. At easy difficulty across 4 steps, it's a good one for a busy evening. As written, it's pescatarian — fish but no meat.
What you'll need
Shopping list (3)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
Diet: contains fish or shellfish, no meat, based on every ingredient listed below.
Contains: Fish Soy
Allergen labels are informational and may not cover cross-contact; verify every package and consult a qualified professional for medical dietary needs. Diet labels are derived from the ingredient list on this page — how we verify diet and allergen labels.
Food-safety and allergen information is general, not medical advice. Follow current guidance from your local food-safety authority, verify product labels, and seek qualified advice for allergies or health conditions.
How to make it
- Nestle the fish fillets side by side on a large square of foil and scatter the ginger, garlic, chilli and lime zest over them.
- Drizzle the lime juice on top and then scatter the pieces of pak choi around and on top of the fish.
- Pour the soy sauce over the pak choi and loosely seal the foil to make a package, making sure you leave space at the top for the steam to circulate as the fish cooks.
- Steam for 15 minutes. (If you haven’t got a steamer, put the parcel on a heatproof plate over a pan of gently simmering water, cover with a lid and steam.)
You'll use: Pan · Saucepan · Steamer
Watch how it's made
Hosted on YouTube — pressing play loads content from YouTube.
Ingredient substitutions
- Lime
- lemon
- Soy Sauce
- tamari (gluten-free) · coconut aminos
What to serve with Thai-style steamed fish
- Pad See Ew Chicken
- Thai Green Curry Chicken
- Massaman Beef curry Beef
- Panang chicken curry (kaeng panang gai) Chicken
Tips & common questions
How long does Thai-style steamed fish take to make?
About 45 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 4 steps and 7 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of lime?
Try lemon. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Structured source recipe — not yet independently kitchen-tested by Consomee. How we source, test & correct recipes.
Recipe data for Thai-style steamed fish via TheMealDB (open database). ▶ Video. Original source. Consomee adds the scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.