Caramelized fish is a familiar dish in Vietnamese cuisine. To ensure that caramelized fish is delicious and odor-free, you should prepare and cook the fish using these spices to bring out the rich flavor.
Preparing the fish
After purchasing the fish, you need to go through the process of preparing and removing the fishy odor. To remove the odor, during the preparation, you can add a little salt to the fish and soak it for a few minutes before rinsing it clean. This process will help remove the sliminess and fishy odor of the fish.
When gutting the fish, remove the fish bladder and the black membrane inside the stomach to reduce the fishy smell. After cleaning the fish, use a knife to cut a horizontal line on the body of the fish, about 1cm away from the head and tail. You will see a white strip of tendon appear. Slowly pull this strip of tendon out until it is completely removed. Performing this procedure on both sides of the fish body will significantly reduce the fishy smell.
For smooth-skinned fish such as basa fish, catfish, snakehead fish, or eel, after preparing, boil some water and pour it over the fish, then scrape off the sliminess. This will make the fish clean without the fishy odor.
In addition, you can soak the fish in rice water for about 10-15 minutes to reduce the fishy odor.
Marinating the fish
When marinating the fish, avoid using too many complex spices. After cleaning and cutting the fish into pieces, place it in a large bowl. Then, season it with a little fish sauce, caramel sauce, broth powder, or salt, and finely chopped dried shallots (optional). Marinate for about 2 hours to let the fish absorb the flavors.
Marinating for such a long time also helps the fish become firm and more fragrant. However, if you don’t have enough time, you can marinate it for about 50 minutes.
What spices should be used when caramelizing fish to eliminate the fishy odor?
To make caramelized fish more fragrant, you should use homemade broth. To make the fish meat tender and fatty, you can add a little pork belly to the cooking pot, enhancing the delicious taste. If you don’t have pork belly, you can add a little cooking oil or lard to ensure that the fish does not dry out and becomes tender and juicy.
When caramelizing, place the fish and other ingredients in the pot. Layer the fish alternately with ginger or pork. Then, pour homemade broth into the pot. If the amount of broth is not enough to cover the fish, you can add warm water and bring it to a boil over high heat.
During the process of caramelizing the fish, add a spoonful of pure fish sauce. Pure fish sauce has a fragrant aroma and a rich taste, considered the “natural enemy” of the fishy odor. It helps easily remove the fishy smell when cooking.
Some people also use pure fish sauce to rinse and eliminate the odor of fish innards. Fish sauce not only makes the meat tender but also enhances the taste.
If you like two-fire caramelized fish, after the mentioned caramelizing time, you can turn off the heat and let the pot of caramelized fish rest. Before enjoying, bring the pot of caramelized fish to a boil once again.
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