Simple, Appealing Dried Snakehead Fish Recipe for Rainy Days

How to prepare Dried Snakehead Fish

• 1

  Prepare the Snakehead Fish

  To clean the slime off the fish and eliminate the fishy smell, you need to scale it thoroughly and remove all the internal organs. Then rinse it several times with water.

  Cut along the fish’s backbone to remove the bones, scraping off any blood vessels. Rub the fish with 2 teaspoons of salt.

  After cleaning and deboning, the fish will weigh about 600g. Marinate it with 2 tablespoons of white wine, mixing it evenly with the wine for about 5 to 10 minutes. Then, drain the fish in a colander, and no need to rinse with clean water.

  Tip:

  • Using white wine will help eliminate the fishy smell, preventing flies from landing on it during drying.
  • All internal organs should be removed so that the drying process yields better results and allows for longer preservation.

  

  

  

  
• 2

  Prepare the fish marinade mixture

  Prepare a small bowl and add about half a cup of fish sauce (the type used for rice), 3 teaspoons of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, 3 teaspoons of minced ginger, and 3 teaspoons of chopped lemongrass leaves. Stir well to combine the mixture.

  Next, add 2 teaspoons of garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder to the mixture, and continue stirring until the mixture is homogeneous.

  Tip:

  • You can substitute chopped lemongrass leaves with minced lemongrass, but using lemongrass leaves will make the dish much drier and more fragrant.
  • If you can’t find garlic powder, you can replace it with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.
  • Turmeric powder can also be replaced with fresh turmeric in an equivalent amount.

  

  

  

  
• 3

  Marinate the snakehead fish

  Place the cleaned fish into a large basin, and the fish will be marinated with the prepared marinade mixture. Use your hands to massage the fish so that it absorbs the spices evenly, then take advantage of the sunny weather to dry it immediately; do not let it sit too long in the basin as the fish will become salty and unappetizing.

  

  

  

  
• 4

  Sun drying

  After marinating, the fish will be taken out to dry in the sun; you can thread them or lay them on a tray, depending on your drying space.

  The dried fish should be sun-dried for 1 to 3 days until it reaches your desired dryness.

  Tip:

  • If during the drying process there is no sun, you can put them in a box, seal it tightly, and place it in the refrigerator fridge or freezer to preserve until there is sun for further drying.
  • You should not dry the fish too much, as it will lose its taste. The best drying time is around 2 days.

  

  

  

  
• 5

  Fried Dried Snakehead Fish

  Prepare a pan with 200ml of cooking oil. Heat the oil until hot, then add the dried fish to fry, frying over medium heat until both sides are golden brown.

  

  

  
• 6

  Final Product

  Now you have delicious dried snakehead fish ready to “stock up” at home for days when you don’t know what to eat. Just fry or grill it, and you have an incredibly rice-consuming dish. The aroma of lemongrass and garlic powder when frying will waft beautifully, the dried fish is not too dry, retaining its sweet taste combined with strong marinated spices. You can enjoy it with hot rice, plain porridge, fresh vegetables, or make it into mixed salads which are also very delicious. Wish you success!