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1
Score the fish on both sides with deep diagonal cuts at 2 cm intervals, cutting through to the bone. Rub the cavity and skin with fine salt. The score lines should gape open — a shallow nick is insufficient and will lead to uneven cooking.
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2
Bring a wok or steamer to a full, rolling boil. Set a heatproof plate inside the steamer and rest the fish across two parallel chopsticks laid on the plate, raising it so steam circulates freely beneath. Lay half the julienned ginger and spring onion across the top of the fish.
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3
Cover and steam over maximum heat, without reduction, for precisely 8–10 minutes. This is where the dish lives or dies: sustained high heat cooks the fish through in a single unbroken burst — any drop in temperature extends the time and begins to dry the flesh. The fish is done when the thickest cut behind the head parts cleanly to the bone but the flesh holds its shape and does not fall.
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4
Remove the plate from the steamer and tip away all accumulated steaming liquid — this liquid carries the raw, fishy vapour and must be discarded entirely before the sauce is applied.
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5
Scatter the remaining fresh julienned ginger and spring onion over the surface of the fish. Spoon the light soy sauce evenly over the fish and aromatics.
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6
Heat the neutral oil in a small pan until it is visibly smoking. Pour it immediately and in a single motion over the aromatics. The oil must sizzle loudly on contact — this blooms the fragrance of the ginger and spring onion. Serve at once.