The Chinese New Year festive season is here. For those who are not informed about the Chinese and their celebrations, it is a must for families to be served with fish-based dishes particularly at the family dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year.
Why?
Well, the explanation is quite simple really. Fish (鱼 / Yú / yoo), in Mandarin, sounds very much like ‘surplus’. So, according to tradition, if you eat fish, especially during the New Year, you will be blessed with a surplus of fortune, health and prosperity. They also say that eating fish will make your wishes come true! What better reason to eat fish? Besides, of course, fish is delicious!
Of course, any type of fish dish works for a Chinese New Year feast, but there’s certainly something special about salmon. We particularly love the orange colour of the flesh and how it makes any simple dish look so much more special.
Cook with Norwegian Salmon This Chinese New Year
Norwegian Salmon marketed here in Malaysia is vetted out by the Norwegian Seafood Council. They ensure that you and your family consume salmon that is safe and fresh.
Besides fulfilling the one criteria of a must-have Chinese New Year dish, salmon is known to be beneficial to your health due to its high omega-3 content and vitamin B. It is linked to improving your brain function, your heart, your joints, improving your cholesterol levels and, for those working out, it helps maintain muscle mass. So, eat salmon and flex away we say.
Here’s a delicious recipe to try this Chinese New Year by the Norwegian Seafood Council. It definitely looks impressive and will be sure to wow your family members!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of salted fermented soya bean, washed and soaked
- 1 teaspoon of black fermented soya bean, soaked
- 3 red chillis, chopped
- 10 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 200g of spring onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
- 100g of ginger, chopped
- 3 tablespoons of oil
- 500ml of chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon of potato starch
- 2 whole salmon head, cut in half
- Sugar, salt and pepper to taste
Method
- In a pan or wok, sauté garlic and ginger until it is fragrant.
- Add black fermented soya beans and salted fermented soya beans. Cook until it is soft and then season with oyster sauce, sesame oil and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer
- Sprinkle in a little bit of seasoning (sugar, salt and pepper) and taste. Adjust it to your liking before adding in the chopped chilli.
- Add 1 tablespoon of potato starch. Stir until the sauce has thickened then turn off the heat and set aside.
- Prepare a steamer for the salmon.
- Cut the salmon head in half, place into a heat proof dish and steam with some ginger for 10 minutes.
- Remove the salmon from the steamer and pour away water.
- Spoon sauce over the fish and garnish with spring onion.
- Serve and be ready for compliments!
Prosperity, Surplus and More!
Yum! Just sharing this recipe makes our mouths water. Give it a try and definitely let us know the results of your cooking. Also, please do not forget to put the hashtags #butterkicap and #norwegianseafoodcouncil and #norwegiansalmon when sharing the tempting pictures on social media.
Better yet, share this wonderful Chinese New Year recipe with your family and friends to spread the prosperity around! If you’re looking for other salmon based recipes to try this festive season, check out this one and let us know how it turned out.
Happy cooking, eating and celebrating! May your new year be filled with good luck, lots of abundance and prosperity.