Easy Thai Lime & Garlic Steamed Fish
🐟 Easy Thai Lime & Garlic Steamed Fish
Ready in under 30 minutes – no steamer needed!
This Thai-style steamed fish is super easy to make at home. It’s full of fresh flavors like lime, garlic, lemongrass, and coriander. Best of all? You don’t need a fancy steamer – just a frying pan or wok with a lid!
This dish is light, healthy, and perfect for a quick dinner. It tastes like something you’d eat on a beach holiday in Thailand. Let’s get started!
🕒 Time & Servings
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Serves: 2 people
🛒 Ingredients
🐟 For the Fish:
- 2 stalks lemongrass (lightly crushed and cut in half)
- 2 white fish fillets (about 200g each) — e.g. barramundi, snapper, cod, or halibut
- Lime slices (for serving)
- Fresh coriander leaves (for serving)
- 1 red chilli, finely sliced (for serving)
- A little sea salt
- Steamed rice (to serve on the side)
🔥 For the Spicy Lime & Garlic Sauce:
- 4 small bird’s eye chillies, roughly chopped
- 2 coriander roots, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup chicken or fish stock
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
🍽️ Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Spicy Sauce
- Use a mortar and pestle (or a food processor) to mash the chillies, coriander roots, garlic, and salt into a rough paste.
- Put the paste in a bowl and mix in the stock, fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar. Set aside.
Step 2: Set Up the Fish
- Place the lemongrass on a plate that’s big enough for the fish, but small enough to fit inside your frying pan or wok with a lid.
- Put the fish fillets on top of the lemongrass and sprinkle them with a little salt.
Step 3: Steam the Fish (Without a Steamer!)
- Fill your frying pan or wok with a little water — about 1/4 full. Bring it to a simmer.
- Make a foil ring (like a donut shape) and place it in the pan.
- Put your plate of fish on top of the foil ring (the plate should not touch the water).
- Cover with a lid and steam for 5 minutes.
Step 4: Add the Sauce and Finish Cooking
- After 5 minutes, take the lid off and pour the spicy sauce over the fish.
- Put the lid back on and steam for another 6-7 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.
Step 5: Serve
- Carefully take the plate out of the pan.
- Garnish with fresh lime slices, coriander leaves, and sliced red chilli.
- Serve with hot steamed rice and enjoy!
💡 Tips & Swaps
- No coriander root? Use fresh coriander stems instead.
- Not too spicy? Use fewer chillies or leave them out.
- No mortar & pestle? Use a small blender or food processor.
- Don’t like fish? Try the same method with prawns or chicken (adjust cooking time).
⭐ What People Are Saying
- “Easy, quick, and full of flavor!”
- “Perfect for hot days – light and tasty.”
- “The sauce is so zingy and fresh. Love it!”
This dish is proof that you don’t need a restaurant to enjoy Thai flavors at home. Give it a try tonight – your kitchen will smell amazing, and your tastebuds will thank you!