SINGAPORE - For steamed fish with a difference, try this recipe for steamed yellow croaker with salted black olives.

I was inspired to make the dish after seeing it on the first season of docu-series Flavorful Origins, which focuses on Teochew food from Chaoshan.

In the episode on olives, black olives are brined before use. The black olives produced in Chaoshan are different from the Mediterranean ones - they are long and tapered in shape.

Preserved salted black olives are available at provision shops here, but there are not many choices. The brand commonly sold is Sin Guo. Or search for salted black olives online. One 180g jar contains about 12 olives. I use all of them for two yellow croakers. By the time you pit them, there is not much olive flesh left.

To release the aroma and flavour of the olives, stir-fry them briefly with chopped garlic.

The usual approach to steamed fish is to discard the liquid at the bottom of the steaming dish, but I skip this step as I find this liquid tasty. Yellow croakers are mild in flavour and usually do not have strong fishy odours. The salted black olives also help stave off any fishy smell.

After the fish is steamed, pour heated oil over the olive topping to further release the fruity aromas. Instead of cooking oil, I use olive oil for fruitier flavours.

Steamed yellow croaker with salted black olives

INGREDIENTS

2 yellow croakers (780g)

1 Tbs white rice vinegar

2 tsp salt

12 salted black olives (180g)

80ml olive oil or cooking oil

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 red finger chilli, sliced

1 stalk of spring onion (5g), sliced

2 stalks of coriander (5g)

METHOD

1. Use a knife to scrape remaining scales off the yellow croakers.

2. Place the fish in a deep dish. Add white rice vinegar and 1 tsp of salt. Rub the mixture all over each fish. Rinse well.

3. Place the fish in a heat-proof dish and rub 1/2 tsp of salt over the two pieces, sprinkling some into the fish cavity. Take care not to break any fish egg or milt in the cavity.

4. Cover the dish with cling wrap and place it in the fridge to chill if you are not cooking it right away.

5. Remove the fish from the fridge. Leave it on kitchen counter 45 minutes before steaming.

6. Rinse the salted black olives briefly.

7. Place an olive on the cutting board. Using a kitchen knife, gently slice around the middle of the pit as you push the knife forward. Pull apart the two halves of the olive gently with your fingers. It should come apart easily and cleanly. Discard the pit. Repeat with remaining olives.

8. Slice the olives laterally.

9. Heat 2 Tbs of oil (30ml) in a frying pan.

10. Add the chopped garlic and olives. Stir-fry for 90 seconds. Set aside.

11. Drain off excess water at the bottom of the dish containing the yellow croakers.

12. Place the stir-fried olive and garlic mixture over the fish.

13. Steam the fish for eight minutes.

14. Two minutes before the end of the steaming time, heat 50ml of olive oil over medium-low heat in a separate pan.

15. Once the fish is steamed, add the sliced chilli and spring onion over the fish.

16. Turn off the heat for the oil and pour the hot oil over the fish.

17. Garnish with coriander and serve immediately.

Serves three to four