Should you fry the fish before putting it in the soup?
Fish contains an amino acid called trimethylamine (NH(CH3)) that causes a typical fishy odor. Freshly caught fish usually has a low amount of trimethylamine, so it tends to have a mild odor. The longer the fish is kept, the higher the level of trimethylamine, and the stronger the fishy smell becomes.
According to the way of cooking soup in fishing boats in some coastal regions, fresh sea fish is not fried before being put into the boiling water. Freshly caught fish are cleaned and put into a pot of boiling water, seasoned with spices. When the fish is cooked, the heat is turned off, and a squeeze of lime or lemon juice is added for flavor. This cooking method helps to maintain the natural sweetness of the fish, resulting in a clear and refreshing soup.
In Southern Vietnam, when cooking soup with smooth-skinned fish, the fish is either put directly into the pot or lightly stir-fried instead of being fried until golden before making the soup.
For soup made with freshwater fish like carp, silver carp, or snakehead, frying the fish is a way to reduce the fishy smell and enhance the aroma of the soup. This method will make the soup more fatty and oily compared to cooking it directly with fresh fish. Therefore, when cooking fish soup, people often add sour fruits or spices like vinegar, tamarind, or starfruit to balance the richness and reduce greasiness.
Whether to fry the fish before cooking or not depends on the preference and habit of each family.
Some ways to remove the fishy smell:
– Properly cleaning the fish: The fish needs to be properly cleaned, removing the scales, gut, black membranes in the abdomen, and excess blood. Using some ingredients like rice water, salt, lime juice, or ginger wine to wash the fish can effectively remove the fishy smell.
– Cooking fish with sour fruits: The organic acids in sour fruits or spices with a sour taste can neutralize the alkalinity of trimethylamine in fish, reducing the fishy smell in cooked dishes. Sour fruits commonly used when cooking fish include green tangerine, kumquat, starfruit, cherry tomatoes, as well as condiments like vinegar, tamarind, etc.
– Cooking fish with bitter ingredients: Cooking fish with bitter ingredients like raw banana or banana flowers also helps effectively remove the fishy smell.
– Adding herbs and spices: Each region’s fish soup has its own unique cooking method and distinct flavors. However, herbs and spices that create a fragrant aroma are indispensable ingredients in fish soup. When cooking fish soup, you can add fresh herbs like cilantro, spring onions, coriander, dill, chili, etc.
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