My mom's Teochew steamed pomfret is one of my favourite dishes. Here I'm using a small white pomfret that is perfect for two people. As the fish cooks in no time, steam the fish last so that it can be served piping hot at the dining table.
Soak shiitake mushrooms in hot water and set aside for at least 30 minutes until softened. Cut and discard the stems. Slice the mushroom caps into strips and set aside.
Rinse and pat-dry pomfret thoroughly with paper towels. Score both sides of the fish with a knife. Season both sides lightly with salt.
In a heat-proof shallow plate, sprinkle half of the ginger. Place the pomfret on top of the ginger and arrange shiitake mushrooms, tomato and salted vegetable around the pomfret. Sprinkle the remaining ginger over the pomfret. Squeeze the pickled plum over the pomfret.
Pour in about 60ml (1/4-cup) water or until there's a shallow pool of water beneath the fish. This will be the "soup" later on.
Bring water to boil in a steamer pot. Steam the fish on high heat for 5 to 6 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Garnish with coriander and serve immediately.
NOTES
By cleaned, it means for the fish to be scaled and gutted. Do get your trusted local fishmonger to clean it for you.
If your salted vegetable is freshly bought, it may be unpalatable salty. Soak in hot water for a few minutes to remove excess salt. Taste the salted vegetable. If it's too salty, you can soak longer or change the water. Note that the flavour and salt will be released into the dish later on, so you want the salted vegetable to still be salt but not too overly salty.