Preparation
10 minutes
Cooking
20 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Braised Mackerel Serves 2
Mackerel 3 fish Spring onions 2 stalks Cilantro 2 stalks Shallots 2 bulbs Fresh chili 4 fruits Cooking oil 1 teaspoon Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Common spices a little (salt/ sugar/ monosodium glutamate/ seasoning powder)
How to choose fresh mackerel
- Choose fish with bright red gills, tightly closed, with no strange smell or slime.
- The fish’s eyes should be bright and clear. When you press the fish’s body with your hand, it should have good elasticity and not leave a dent. The fish’s mouth should be tightly closed, and the anus should be light white.
- Avoid buying fish with dark gills, soft flesh, cloudy eyes, and a foul smell as they may be spoiled.
How to prepare Mackerel stew
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Prepare the ingredients
To eliminate the fishy smell of mackerel, soak the fish in diluted salt water for about 15 minutes, then rinse with clean water and let it drain.
Remove the entrails and gills, then cut the fish in half and rinse again with clean water 2 – 3 more times.
Chop the green onions and cilantro, wash them, and cut them into pieces. Peel and slice the shallots. Chop the chili.
Effective ways to reduce the fishy smell:
- After cleaning the fish, cut it into bite-sized pieces and soak it in rice water for about 15 – 20 minutes. Then, rinsing it with clean water will help reduce the fishy smell.
- Alternatively, while washing the fish, you can mix a few tablespoons of alcohol or white vinegar into the water, then soak the fish for about 5 minutes and rinse it again with water.
See details: 7 effective ways to reduce the fishy smell
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Marinate the fish
After preparing the fish, place it in a bowl, marinate with sliced shallots, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Mix well and marinate for about 30 minutes for the fish to absorb the spices.
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Cooking fish
Add to pot 1 teaspoon of cooking oil, green onions, chopped chili, and 1 bowl of water (rice bowl), then bring to a boil.
When the water boils, add the marinated fish (only take the fish, not the marinade). Cover and cook over medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes.
When the fish is cooked, add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, season to taste, then turn off the heat and scoop the fish into a bowl.
Sprinkle with additional chopped green onions and cilantro, and it’s ready to enjoy.
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Final product
The mackerel cooked in sauce is now complete. The fish is tender, sweet, and not fishy. When eaten, you will taste the natural sweetness and rich flavor of the fish combined with the spicy fragrance from chili, green onions, and cilantro, which is very appealing.
This dish goes well with noodles or white rice, making it delicious and satisfying. Wish you success!
See more:
Above is a guide on how to cook mackerel stew that is extremely delicious and full of Central flavor. TasteVN hopes that with this recipe, you can easily make the dish yourself. Wishing you success!
*Image sources and recipes are shared from Facebook Trang Đinh
