Steam seafood in Singapore: how the steam pot and congee work

What is steam seafood?

Steam seafood is a way of eating seafood together at the table. Live seafood goes into a steamer that sits on top of a pot of congee. Steam rises from below and cooks the seafood in a few minutes.

As the seafood cooks, its juices drip down into the congee. By the end of the meal the congee has taken on the flavour of everything that was steamed above it. That bowl of congee is the last course.

Steam seafood vs steamboat

Both are shared, cooked at the table, and good for groups. The difference is how the food is cooked.

How it works at Chen Man Tang

1. Choose your seafood. Lobster, crab, prawns, scallops, oysters and clams, picked live from our tanks.
2. Steamed at your table. The seafood goes into a brass steamer, layer by layer, and cooks in front of you.
3. Finish with the congee. Ladle out the congee from the base of the pot. Add century egg, fish slices or minced pork if you like.

Tips for your first steam pot

• Come as a group. One pot in the middle of the table is made for sharing. Groups of 4 to 12 can book one of our private rooms.
• Save room for the congee. It gets better with every layer, so don't fill up before it arrives.
• Add a few cooked dishes. Braised pork belly, Hong Kong style steamed grouper or mala blood curd go well alongside the pot.
• Book ahead on busy nights. Send us a WhatsApp with your date, time and number of people.