This is going to be a thread about an underappreciated cooking technique for fish- steaming.

I first became a fan of steamed fish in China, where this mode of preparation is de rigueur. Unlike frying or stewing, steaming let's delicate flavors shine.

First the basics:

Get a bamboo or a metal steamer with a heavy lid that holds the steam inside. If you're not ready to invest in a steamer yet, here's an easy hack. Place a coffee cup upside down in a large pot of water rising to the halfway point of the cup. Put a plate on top of the cup.

Line the basket with lettuce, cabbage, or my favorite, bok choy. Add in aromatic herbs, coarse salt, and spices. Put the fish on top- preferably a whole fish to which you've cut a slits into the skin on both sides (or fish fillets). This is what branzino looks like going in.

Now boil water in the pot to generate steam and set the covered basket in the pot. A one-pound fish (0.45 kg) will cook in around 15-20 minutes. Fillets take around 6-7 minutes.

Spices you can play around with: garlic-ginger, chili powder, coarse salt, cumin, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, clove, and turmeric. Aromatics like lemongrass, cilantro, and scallions. Maybe add in lemon slices. Red snapper shown here.

Branzino, red snapper, sea bass, bhetki or halibut work well, but any whitefish with a delicate flavor will do.

For more oily fish like tuna steaks you want to create a marinate and consider wrapping in banana leaf parcels to lock in flavors.

If you're not into fish, don't fret. A steamer is perfect for steaming root vegetables, corn, and small comestibles from tamales to dumplings to baos to pithes.

From travel I've come to the conclusion that every great and ancient civilization has perfected the art of steaming.