Steaming is an ideal cooking method for fish, preserving the seafood's delicate flavor while keeping it moist. Here you'll find recipes for Asian- and Italian-style steamed fish, Belgian steamed mussels, New England steamed clams, and more.

Lemongrass, cilantro, ginger, lime zest, and garlic perfume this Asian-style steamed fish as it cooks. You can use any firm-fleshed fish, such as red snapper, flounder, or bass.

Combine four pounds of clams, a little butter and thyme, and a pint of beer or water to make enough of this casual appetizer for a party. Once the clams are scrubbed, it takes less than 15 minutes to prepare.

Before wrapping in napa cabbage to steam, marinate sea bass fillets in soy sauce, sacha sauce (Chinese barbecue sauce), ginger, garlic, and minced chiles. Serve the steamed fish with a sauce of ginger, oyster sauce, and soy sauce.

A salmon fillet and a serving of buttered peas cook gently in lettuce-lined steamer baskets to make a quick and light dinner for one. Serve the fish with lemony yogurt sauce.

Red bell pepper, zucchini, and oregano lend a Mediterranean touch to the couscous pilaf that fills these flounder fillets. Cooked in the microwave, this dinner is ready in just 20 minutes.

Slice ears of corn into half-inch "coins" so they cook at the same speedy pace as littleneck clams. Shallot, jalapenos, and cilantro flavor the white wine broth.

Chef Andrew Carmellini shared this recipe for black bass fillets steamed with scallions, oregano, vermouth, and lemon and orange zest. Sun-dried tomato and almond pesto mixed with chopped fresh basil, parsley, and celery leaves creates a bold sauce for the fish.

Moules Mariniere, or "mariner's mussels," is a classic and easy Belgian specialty that includes a cooking liquid of white wine seasoned with shallots, thyme, and parsley. Serve with a crusty baguette to soak up the flavorful broth.

Gentle steaming in bamboo baskets keeps shell-on shrimp tender and sweet. Pour a sauce of rice wine, soy sauce, and sugar over the shrimp and sprinkle with scallions just before serving.

This halibut supper is wonderfully easy to make: The flavorful topping of green olives, parsley, lemon zest, and olive oil can be prepared while the fish steams. Serve the fish on a bed of spicy lemon quinoa.

Steam salmon fillets on a bed of lemon slices to imbue them with a delicate tanginess. Serve with sliced avocado for a nutritious breakfast or light lunch.

Scallions, rice vinegar, and plenty of fresh ginger liven up cod fillets. This light dinner takes just five minutes to cook in the microwave.

No special equipment is necessary to make this Asian-style steamed fish: simply arrange arctic char fillets in a baking dish, sprinkle with rice wine, soy sauce, scallion, and ginger, and steam in the oven. This recipe is from Australian chef Pete Evans.

Steam mussels and littleneck clams in white wine with leeks, shallots, and serrano chile. Serve as an appetizer or a main dish with grilled, garlic-rubbed baguette slices.

To make this dinner for one, line a steamer basket with basil leaves to subtly perfume cod and sugar snap peas while they cook. Drizzle the fish with a light lemon-basil vinaigrette before serving.

Mix together grated ginger, orange zest, orange juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine, scallions, and a touch of coriander to create the marinade for striped bass fillets and shiitake mushrooms. You will need two 6-inch, two-tiered bamboo steamers to make this dish.

Rolled-up cabbage leaves hide delicious treasures in the form of steamed salmon fillets. Serve the "packages" over rice-noodle salad dressed in a soy-ginger sauce.

Frozen banana leaves, which are inedible, are available at Asian markets and grocerythai.com. If you can't find them, parchment works just as well. Recipe adapted from Amanyara Resort, in Turks and Caicos.

You can cook your dinner right on the serving plate using this easy, ingenious method: Simply suspend the plate on a steaming rack inside a wok. Sesame oil, cilantro, ginger, and scallions flavor red snapper while it steams.

Kaffir lime leaves, cilantro, grapefruit, and orange slices infuse shrimp, clams, and mussels as they steam in bamboo baskets. Serve this light appetizer with an assortment of Asian dipping sauces.

This healthful steamed-halibut recipe works equally well with salmon steaks or Pacific cod. Serve alongside asparagus that cooks at the same time as the fish in the second layer of the steamer basket.

Purge the sand from clams before cooking by soaking them in fresh water with cornmeal for three to six hours. Steam the clams in beer for a few minutes, just until the shells open, and serve them with melted butter for dipping.

This plain steamed salmon fillet has no added fat or seasonings, making it an excellent blank slate for sauces, sandwiches, or salads. Steamed salmon is one of Martha's favorite breakfasts.

Steam lemon-topped swordfish steaks on a bed of capers and sliced garlic to make this light and lively dish from the Calabrian coast of Italy. Chef Lidia Bastianich shared this recipe with Martha.