Do I need cooking wine when steaming fish

When steaming fish, cooking wine can generally be added to remove fishy smell and enhance aroma, but it is not necessary. The use of cooking wine mainly depends on the type of fish, freshness, and personal taste preferences. Fresh sea fish such as sea bass and Duobao fish have a lighter fishy smell and usually do not require cooking wine. Only scallions and ginger can achieve the effect of removing fishy smell. Freshwater or frozen fish have a strong fishy smell, and can be marinated with a small amount of cooking wine or directly poured on the fish. Rice wine cooking wines such as Huangjiu and Huadiao wine are more suitable for steaming, as alcohol evaporation at high temperatures can remove the fishy substances. When consumed by individuals or children who are sensitive to alcohol, lemon juice or ginger juice can be used as a substitute for cooking wine, which also has a deodorizing effect. Fish that have been stored for a long time may still have a strange odor even when cooking with cooking wine. In such cases, it is recommended to shorten the steaming time or switch to heavy flavored cooking methods such as braised dishes. Excessive cooking wine may mask the natural flavor of fish meat, especially in steaming methods, it is recommended to control it within 5 milliliters and prioritize brewing cooking wine over preparing cooking wine. People who are allergic to cooking wine ingredients should completely avoid using it. Instead, soak fish meat in scallion and ginger water to remove fishy smell.

When steaming fish, it is recommended to adjust the seasoning according to the freshness of the fish. Fresh live fish should maintain their original flavor as much as possible, and pairing with soy sauce and hot oil can highlight their freshness and tenderness. Regardless of whether cooking wine is used or not, marinating fish with salt and ginger slices for 10 minutes before steaming can effectively remove fishy smell. Steaming for 8-10 minutes can maintain the best taste of the fish meat. Steaming with ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms and ham can increase the flavor level, but it is important to control the total sodium content.