For steam fish, I'd suggest adopting the less is more method. Going heavy on the aromatics like using browned garlic and seasonings will mask the natural sweetness of the fish. All you need is a good rub of salt on the fish, oil, a good light soy sauce, 2 slices of 20sen sized bentong ginger and spring onions. Sometimes ginger is not even required if the fish is good.

The reason why restaurants throw away "fish water" is because most of them steam the entire fish. The gut cavity and head portion contains alot of funky tasting substances which could ruin the final product. If you have a very beautiful cut of fish like your fillet or even a tail, this step is not necessary. It will be necessary however, if you have a steak of fish with bone in that could be contaminated with blood, then you might consider it. Truth be told, the liquid that you get from steaming a good cut of fish is fantastic. If the flesh tastes so good, why would fish water be unappetising? Right?

Good steam fish = the freshest cut of fish you can find (defo from wet market or a good fishmonger), no blood contamination, light seasoning and good soy sauce. Just my 2 cents.

Ahh well yes, your "eyes eat first", which can be rather subjective and can drastically affect the taste of the dish.
As for the condiments, it depends what flavours does the chef want to deliver and emphasize, strong and heavy or light and clean, whilst still maintaining a balance of flavours.
In the end, it is still the cook's and diners' preferences.

I think throwing away fish water should be done only if the fish is not as fresh (fresh = translucent flesh with an iridescent sheen) or steamed whole fish (not all species, extremely fresh dao dai pomfret is amazing). Which is why the easiest way to steam would be to buy boneless/bone-in fillets of large fish. Bones provide great flavour but they spoil fast (due to blood contamination). Steamed fish is more about buying technique than cooking technique, emphasizing freshness. I cannot stress enough how fresh the fish must be to able steam it with minimal condiments and taste heavenly, without throwing water.

The Hong Kees can easily say minimal condiments for steamed fish, that is because in countries like China and Hong Kong, the fish are sold live, which is very different from here. Secondly, their climate is also different from ours which makes quality of dead fish sold here drop faster due to the higher temperature and humidity. Thirdly, we get most of our fish from the Straits of Melaka (farmed or caught), while Hong Kees probably get theirs from South China Sea, pollution in these two bodies of water are different, thus quality is different. (Most of the reef groupers, eg Red, Seven Star, Swalow are not caught in West Malaysia, they are shipped from East Malaysia, quality drops during shipping as well). My guess is, to enjoy steamed fish almost everyday, Malaysians changed the recipes of steam fish, which involved adding more of condiments and aromatics to make up for the reduced quality of fish and also, to suit our Malaysian Food palates which favour flavour intense and bold tasting foods. So yea, there are a few ways to steam fish and it might be your families' recipe, so you do yours. In no way did I do detailed research so these are just my thoughts, hope it helps I guess?