The braised dishes with linh fish are simple, easy-to-make, and deeply reflect the essence of the Mekong Delta. Today, let’s get cooking with TasteVN and learn 2 ways to cook delicious, flavorful braised linh fish with caramel and braised linh fish with pineapple that are sure to be a hit!
1. Braised linh fish with caramel
-
Preparation
15 minutes
-
Cooking
45 minutes
-
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Braised linh fish with caramel Serves 3
Linh fish 500 gr Fresh coconut 1 fruit Shallots 5 bulbs Bird’s eye chili 10 fruits Green onions 5 sprigs Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Caramel sauce 1 tablespoon Common seasoning a little (sugar/ monosodium glutamate/ salt/ seasoning powder/ pepper)
How to Prepare Braised Linh Fish
-
Cleaning and Marinating Linh Fish
After buying the linh fish, remove the intestines; there is no need to clean the scales.
Next, clean the fish by rubbing it with a little salt to remove the slimy odor, then rinse the fish with clean water. Place the fish in a strainer to drain.
Once cleaned, place the fish in a large bowl to prepare for marinating.
Add 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, and 1 teaspoon of ground pepper into the bowl, then use chopsticks to mix the fish with the added spices.
Marinate the fish for 20 minutes to allow it to absorb the spices.
-
Preparing Other Ingredients
Peel and finely chop the shallots. Wash the chili, then chop it finely or leave it whole as desired.
Fresh coconut should be cut to extract the water separately. Trim the roots off the green onions, wash them with water, and then cut them into sections.
-
Fry fish
Place a clay pot specifically for frying fish on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into the pot and heat it. When the oil is hot, add finely chopped shallots to the pot and sauté until the shallots are golden and fragrant.
Add the fish to the pot and stir well. Then, pour 100ml of coconut water into the pot to fry the fish, ensuring the coconut water covers the fish evenly for it to cook tenderly.
Add 1 tablespoon of annatto oil to enhance the appearance of the fried fish. Put in 5 – 10 bird’s eye chilies depending on your spice tolerance.
Turn the heat to high until the fish water boils, then reduce to the lowest heat to continue frying the fish.
Fry until the coconut water is nearly evaporated, then season it again for taste, adding pepper and green onions. After that, turn off the heat, scoop the fish onto a plate, and enjoy.
-
Final Product
The sweet fish meat of the linh fish, tender and fatty bones combined with the gentle sweet aroma of fresh coconut water, and the spicy salty taste of various spices have created an incredibly attractive dish.
Let’s head to the kitchen to showcase your skills in making braised linh fish just like the people in the Mekong Delta!
2. Braised Linh Fish with Pineapple
-
Preparation
15 minutes
-
Cooking
45 minutes
-
Difficulty Level
Easy
Ingredients for Braised Linh Fish with Pineapple Serves 3
Linh fish 500 gr Pineapple 1/4 fruit Chili pepper 10 pieces Green onions 5 stalks Cooking oil 1 tablespoon Fish sauce 3 tablespoons Common seasonings a little (sugar/ monosodium glutamate/ salt/ seasoning powder)
How to choose fresh and delicious pineapples
- You should choose pineapples that have a bright yellow color, are intact, and when squeezed gently, feel firm and not soft, bruised, or leaking juice.
- From the crown to the tail, the shape should be slightly bulbous and round, with large, sparse eyes, which indicates more flesh and much sweeter taste.
- The greener the pineapple top, the fresher the pineapple; the drier the top, the sweeter the pineapple.
Tools needed
How to cook fish with pineapple
-
Prepare and marinate the fish
After purchasing the fish, rinse it briefly with water to remove all dirt from the outside.
Next, you proceed to gut the fish to remove all the internal organs, cutting off the head. Then rinse it thoroughly with water again. Take the fish out and let it drain.
Note
- During the gutting process, be gentle to avoid breaking the fish’s bile; if it breaks, the fish will taste bitter when eaten.
- Remember to remove all the black membrane inside the fish to prevent it from being fishy when cooked.
Marinate the fish with a little chopped green onion, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder. Use chopsticks to stir well so that the fish and spices are evenly absorbed.
Place the marinated fish in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to let the fish absorb the seasoning.
-
Prepare the other ingredients
Remove the roots from the green onions, wash them clean, and then cut them into long pieces. Peel the pineapple, trim the core, and then slice it.
Peel the garlic and mince it finely. Wash the chili, chop it small, or leave it whole as desired.
-
Fish Stew
Place a pot on the stove, wait until the pot is hot, then add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the pot and stir continuously to create a caramel color for the dish.
When the sugar crystals have completely dissolved and turned into a golden brown liquid, add minced garlic and shallots and stir well. Turn off the heat immediately to prevent the caramel from becoming black and bitter when eaten.
Once the shallots and garlic are golden and fragrant, add the marinated fish to the pot and stir well. Add 50ml of water so that it covers the fish just enough.
Next, add the previously cut pineapple and chopped chili into the pot with the fish, and stew the fish on the lowest heat.
When the water is almost evaporated, season it once more to taste. Then add chopped green onions and turn off the heat.
-
Final Product
The fish stew with pineapple tastes better when served with rice while still hot, accompanied by water lily stems or yellow flower blossoms.
The fish is sweet, the bones are soft and rich, combined with the sweet and sour taste of pineapple, the spicy kick from the chili, and the salty-sweet flavor of the spices will make your family meal richer and more delicious.
How to choose fresh and delicious linh fish
- You should buy live linh fish that move actively and have a moderate weight.
- Observe the fish’s gills when purchasing; if the gills are bright red, that means the fish is still alive or just recently dead.
- Choose fish with shiny scales, intact, and not too many scales peeling off.
- The fish should feel firm to the touch, the flesh should not be mushy, and there should be no foul smell.
- Avoid buying fish that are too small or too large, as they may have been injected with water. Do not choose fish with peeling scales and a strong fishy smell.
See details: How to choose and preserve fresh fish
Effective ways to eliminate fishy smell
- You can eliminate the fishy smell of linh fish using rice water and salt. After gutting the fish, simply soak it in diluted rice water mixed with salt for about 10 – 15 minutes. Then rinse with clean water.
- Using fresh lemon and vinegar to remove the fishy smell, just add a few tablespoons of lemon juice to the fish washing water (after gutting) and gently rub it to prepare for cooking.
- Mix a few tablespoons of white alcohol into the fish washing water after gutting. Gently rub it on the fish, then rinse with clean water, which is also an effective way to eliminate the fishy smell of linh fish.
See details: Effective tips to eliminate fishy smell
See more
With 2 recipes for the dish braised catfish with pineapple and braised catfish with sweet and sour that TasteVN just shared, I wish you success and enjoy the delicious specialty of the Mekong Delta during the flood season with your family!
*Refer to images and recipes from the YouTube channel: Life in the Garden and The Whole Family Cooks
