Check out 2 ways to make deep-fried snakehead fish and crispy fried snakehead fish with lemongrass and chili, with just a few very simple steps. Let’s get cooking with TasteVN and make this delicious fried dish right now!
1. Deep-fried snakehead fish wrapped in rice paper
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Deep-fried snakehead fish wrapped in rice paper For 4 people
Snakehead fish 500 gr Ginger 50 gr Rock sugar 60 gr Chili 3 fruits Garlic 4 cloves Crispy flour 100 gr Various fresh vegetables 200 gr Lime 1 slice Seasoning 10 gr (salt/ sugar/ seasoning powder/ fish sauce…)
Types of vegetables served with deep-fried snakehead fish wrapped in rice paper: cucumber, green mango, various fresh herbs (marjoram, basil, Vietnamese balm, knotweed, fish mint, water celery, bean sprouts, chives,…), sliced pineapple, sour banana, green starfruit.
Ingredient images
How to prepare Fried Snakehead Fish wrapped in Rice Paper
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Prepare the snakehead fish
When buying snakehead fish, you can ask the seller to clean it for you. If not, you can clean it yourself in the following steps: Use a knife to scrape off the fish scales, open the belly to remove all the internal organs, and make sure to remove the opaque white membrane inside the fish’s belly, including the white tendons on both sides of the fish, as they are the cause of the fishy smell.
Rinse thoroughly with diluted salt water and rinse with clean water 1 – 2 times. Use a knife to make a few slits on the body of the fish; this helps the fish absorb the seasoning and frying flour better.
Marinate the fish with a little pepper, seasoning powder, and monosodium glutamate, using your hands to rub the ingredients evenly onto each slit of the fish, and let it sit for about 15 minutes to absorb the flavor. Then, coat the body of the fish with a layer of crispy frying flour and wait to fry.
Tip:
- The fish can be cleaned and the fishy smell can be removed by soaking it in diluted salt water or rice washing water for about 15 minutes, then rinsing with clean water.
- You can cut the fish into small slices, so when marinating with crispy frying flour, the flour will evenly coat all surfaces of the fish.
- You can also coat the fish with tapioca flour instead of crispy frying flour if you prefer!
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Prepare other ingredients
Wash the accompanying vegetables and let them drain. Peel the garlic. For ginger, you should use a spoon or a knife to scrape off the skin, then cut it into thin slices. Cut the lemon into small pieces and remove the seeds.
Put 60g of rock sugar into a mortar and pound it finely, then transfer it to a bowl. Next, continue to pound 50g of ginger, 3 fresh chili peppers, and 4 large cloves of garlic. Transfer everything to a bowl.
Tip: While pounding, use your hand to cover the mouth of the mortar to prevent the ingredients from splattering outside or hitting your eyes!
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Fry the fish
Place a pan with oil on the stove and wait for the oil to heat up before adding the fish to deep fry it on low heat to ensure the fish cooks evenly and tastes better.
Fry the fish on medium-low heat to ensure it cooks through from the inside out. When the fish’s surface turns golden brown, increase the heat and quickly flip the fish once before removing it from the pan, helping the fish absorb less oil and become crispier.
Fry until the fish is golden brown on both sides, then remove it to drain excess oil.
Tips for frying crispy fish
- You should choose a deep pan that is appropriately sized for the fish to ensure even cooking.
- You can use chopsticks to touch the bottom of the pan; if you see small bubbles rising, the oil is hot enough to add the fish.
- You can use a ladle to pour hot oil evenly over the fish to ensure it is golden and crispy on all sides.
- Wait for the fish to set and turn slightly golden on one side before flipping it to avoid breaking the fish.
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Prepare the ginger fish sauce
Add the previously mashed ingredients into a bowl, along with 1/2 teaspoon of white sugar and 4 tablespoons of fish sauce. Use a spoon to mix well, helping the ingredients dissolve quickly. Then, squeeze 1 slice of lemon into the bowl and stir well until combined.
Tip: You can also serve it with garlic chili fish sauce, sweet and sour or fermented fish dipping sauce as well.
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Final Product
The snakehead fish is marinated with spices and wrapped in a crispy batter, maintaining the freshness and sweetness of the fish meat, while the outer skin is crispy and flaky.
You can enjoy the fish with rice paper rolls, some slices of cucumber, sliced pineapple, sour banana, green starfruit, along with various fresh herbs, dipped in a bit of ginger fish sauce for an amazing taste!
2. Fried Snakehead Fish with Lemongrass and Chili
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Fried Snakehead Fish with Lemongrass and Chili Serves 4
Snakehead fish 600 gr Salt 3/2 teaspoons MSG 1/2 teaspoon Chili 2 pieces Lemongrass 2 stalks
Tip: Instead of using a whole fish, you can also use pre-filleted snakehead fish.
Ingredient Images
How to Cook Fried Snakehead Fish with Lemongrass and Chili
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Prepare the Ingredients
Clean the snakehead fish by removing the scales and internal organs, cut the fish in half and make several cuts on the back to allow the fish to absorb the seasoning better. Wash the chili and lemongrass, then chop them finely.
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Marinate the fish
Add all the chopped lemongrass and spices to the fish, mix well, and marinate for about 10 minutes to help the fish absorb the spices evenly.
Note: It is recommended to use your hands to rub the spices and lemongrass into each cut of the fish to make it more flavorful when fried.
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Fry the fish
Heat the oil in a pan, when the oil is hot, drop the fish in and fry on low heat until both sides are golden brown, then remove and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
Tip: When you first put the fish in the pan, you can fry one side briefly and then flip it to prevent the fish from curling.
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Finished Dish
Fried snakehead fish with lemongrass and chili is fried until both sides are evenly golden, seasoned with a spicy and savory blend that has a strong and appealing lemongrass flavor. It is a wonderful dish when combined with white rice, sure to make family meals even more delicious. Let’s try it right away!
How to choose delicious snakehead fish
- You should clearly distinguish between Vietnamese and Chinese snakehead fish to avoid buying the wrong one. And note that you should choose to buy wild snakehead fish, as the flesh will be tastier than farmed snakehead fish.
- Chinese snakehead fish usually has a dark black color, a uniform and larger size than Vietnamese snakehead fish, and its eyes often appear dull and are usually elongated due to long transportation times.
- Vietnamese snakehead fish typically has a long slender body, uneven size, black and yellow scales, and has green spotted patterns.
- You should choose to buy fish that are still alive, swimming actively, and upon observation, you do not see any fungal spots. Fresh snakehead fish has a small anus; if you choose fish with a swollen anus, it means the fish has been stored for a long time, has decomposed, and has been treated with many preservatives that can adversely affect health.
- You should choose to buy wild snakehead fish weighing about 0.5 – 1kg each, with dark black scales, a pointed head, and a long tail which will have more flesh and be firmer. When grilled, the meat will be sweeter and tastier than farmed snakehead fish.
How to clean snakehead fish to remove slime and odor
- When cutting the fish gills, you should cut very close to reveal the white tendon; using your hands to remove that tendon will help eliminate the fishy smell.
- You can use stove ash or betel lime to rub all over the fish and rinse it several times with clean water to remove the slime immediately.
- You can also soak the fish in diluted salt water or rice washing water for about 10 minutes; after rinsing with clean water, you will see that the slime is effectively removed.
- You can also eliminate the slime and fishy smell by rubbing the whole fish with lemon, vinegar, or white wine; this is also an effective method you can use.
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Try out right away 2 ways to make crispy fried snakehead fish with lemongrass and chili that are delicious and flavorful that you just shared and enjoy with your family. Wishing you success!
*Refer to images and recipes from the YouTube channel Tuấn Nguyễn Food and What to Eat Here
