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Preparation
15 minutes
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Processing
1 hour
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Difficulty
Medium
Fish sauce is an extremely familiar dish to Vietnamese people in every meal. Today, the section Cooking Tips of TasteVN will guide you to make delicious and attractive sặc fish sauce with a simple recipe. Let’s get cooking right away!
Ingredients for Sặc Fish Sauce For 4 people
Sặc fish 1 kg Rock salt 300 gr Rice powder 100 gr Palm sugar 500 gr Granulated sugar 200 gr (or brown sugar)
What is crushed sugar? Can it be replaced with another type of sugar?
- Crushed sugar is a pure sugar made directly from sugarcane juice. The sugarcane juice is boiled, concentrated, poured into molds, and then naturally solidifies into finished sugar.
- The process of producing crushed sugar does not use any preservatives or bleaching agents like regular sugars on the market, giving it a very distinct mild sweetness that is highly favored for making traditional cakes, cooking desserts, etc.
- You can replace crushed sugar with brown sugar or palm sugar, which will still ensure the flavor of the dish but will not be as delicious and fragrant as when using crushed sugar.
How to choose good ingredients
How to choose fresh and delicious snakehead fish
- Choose live fish that are active, with intact scales.
- It is advisable to choose fish that are mature and of moderate size. When pressing on the flesh of the fish, it should feel firm and have good elasticity.
- Avoid buying fish with scales falling off, soft or mushy flesh, or any strange fishy smell.
- You should buy fish from reputable seafood stores to ensure product quality.
How to choose fragrant rice flour
- Choose rice flour that has a very pleasant distinctive smell and a beautiful golden-brown color.
- Do not buy rice flour that has no smell or has a strange smell, or has a pale color as this may be low-quality rice flour or flour that has been stored for too long, which will not be fragrant when making fish sauce.
- You can easily find rice flour at markets, food stores, or e-commerce websites nationwide.
- Additionally, if you have time, you can also refer to how to make rice flour at home according to the recipe from TasteVN.
Tools needed
Glass jar, pot, knife, spoon, chopsticks,…
How to make Fermented Snakehead Fish
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Prepare the fish
For the snakehead fish, scrape off the scales, remove the head, clean the insides, and rinse the fish with diluted salt water, then rinse with clean water several times.
After that, let the fish sunbathe for about 2 hours to completely dry it.
Tip: To prevent the fermented fish from spoiling and to keep it for a long time, make sure the fish is completely dry after washing before making the fermentation.
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Marinate the fish
Place the snakehead fish into the glass jar, layer 1 layer of fish followed by 1 layer of coarse salt. Each time you add a layer of fish, press down firmly with your hand to eliminate any air pockets between the salt and the fish.
Then use a bamboo stick or chopsticks to press the marinated fish tightly and cover the jar lid securely. Store the fish in a dry place, avoiding direct sunlight for 10 – 14 days to allow the fish to absorb the salt.
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Mix the rice powder
After about 10 – 14 days, when the fish has absorbed the salt, take the fish out, drain and discard the brine.
When the fish is completely drained, add 100g of rice powder and mix well.
Then put the mixed fish into a glass jar, continue to pack the fish tightly and cover it securely, storing it in a dry place away from sunlight for about 2 months.
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Completion
Put a pot on the stove, add 300ml of filtered water, 500g of palm sugar, 200g of powdered sugar, and stir well.
When the water boils, skim off the foam to keep the water clear, then continue stirring until the syrup thickens, then turn off the heat and let it cool completely.
Remove the weight from the jar containing the mixed fish and pour the syrup into it, seal it tightly, and store it in a dry place away from sunlight for 5 – 10 days for the fish to absorb the flavors before it can be used.
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Final Product
The completed fish sauce has a distinctive and appealing aroma along with attractive colors. The fish is tender, sweet, and has a moderate salty taste. Just serve it with a bowl of white rice, and it’s absolutely wonderful!
How to Successfully Make
- You can use glass jars or clay jars to make fish sauce; do not use plastic jars as they are toxic, making the sauce less fragrant and not preserving well.
- Use coarse salt to marinate the fish sauce, do not substitute with fine salt or iodized salt.
- Note that you need to use palm sugar or crushed sugar, do not use granulated sugar or rock sugar to make the sauce.
- Using more roasted rice flour will help the sauce become more flavorful.
How to Store Fish Sauce
- You should store the fish sauce in a dry place or in the cool compartment of a refrigerator to prevent spoilage.
- The sauce used within 6 – 12 months will ensure the best flavor.
See more:
Above is the delicious and appealing fermented fish sauce with an extremely simple and quick recipe. Let’s join TasteVN in the kitchen to make it right away!
*Refer to the images and recipe from the YouTube channel HỒNG THANH FOOD.
