Slow Cooker Asian “Steamed” Tilapia

Steamed fish is a common fare in a Chinese buffet. Fortune Buffet in the Miracle Mile in Monroeville, PA had steamed sole the last time we ate there. I fell in love with it and could not get it off my mind. I happened to have tilapia in the freezer and green onions and ginger and decided to try steaming the fish in my Crock Pot brand casserole slow cooker. It has a low setting which I found could be used in cooking fish. I did not have to use a steamer basket like what I had to use if I had employed the usual stove steaming approach. I just used aluminum foil to envelop the fish and other ingredients.  I even used frozen tilapia fillets and just increase the cooking time. The fish came out moist and flavorful. The texture was perfect.

Slow Cooker Asian "Steamed" Tilapia

• 1 lb tilapia fillet (5 fillets)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce 
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp sugar or to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 2 inch ginger, julienned
• 3 stalks green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces 

Mix the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, garlic, sugar and black pepper in a small bowl. Take a piece of aluminum foil twice the length of your crock pot. Place.on crock pot and fold in half. Put the fillet on top of half of foil. Pour soy sauce mixture over fillets, then distribute the ginger and green onion on top. Fold over the other half of the foil and crimp the sides.

Cook at low setting for 2 hrs if fillets are thawed or 3 hrs if frozen. I cooked mine frozen for 3 hours in a Crock Pot brand casserole slow cooker.