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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour
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Difficulty
Medium
Fish sauce made from linh fish has a distinctive rich flavor, perfect to use right away or to combine with other ingredients for delicious dishes. Today, the Cooking Tips section of TasteVN will share with you the recipe for making this fish sauce for the whole family to enjoy!
Ingredients for Linh Fish Sauce Serves 4 people
Linh fish 1 kg Salt 200 gr Palm sugar 500 gr (or powdered sugar) Roasted rice flour 100 gr White wine 50 ml
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh linh fish
- For quality dishes, you should choose linh fish that are evenly sized and of moderate weight.
- Choose fish that are still alive and move actively. Observe the gills; if they are bright red, then the fish is still alive.
- The fish should have shiny scales, intact and not peeling. When held, it should feel firm, the flesh should not be mushy, and it should not have a foul smell.
- Do not choose soft, mushy fish with strange odors or that are bruised.
How to choose delicious fragrant rice flour
- Choose rice flour that has a very pleasant characteristic aroma and a beautiful brown-yellow color.
- Do not buy rice flour that has no smell or has a strange odor, and a pale color, as this may be flour made from low-quality rice or has been stored for too long, which will not taste good when used for making fish sauce.
- You can easily find rice flour at markets, grocery stores, or e-commerce sites nationwide.
- Additionally, if you have time, you can refer to how to make rice flour at home according to the recipe from TasteVN.
-800x450.jpg "How to Make Delicious and Flavorful Fish Sauce from Linh Fish at Home 2")
Tools needed
How to make Fish Sauce from Linh Fish
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Prepare the fish
To clean and eliminate the fishy smell, after purchasing the linh fish, cut off the head, tail, and intestines. Mix 50ml of white wine with water to wash the fish, then rinse it several times with clean water and let it drain.
Tip:
- Besides using white wine to remove the fishy smell and clean the fish, you can also use vinegar or lemon, diluted in water, to wash the fish effectively.
- To help the fish sauce preserve for a long time, remember to thoroughly remove the fish’s intestines when preparing the fish.
- If you have time and want to be more thorough, you can sun-dry the linh fish for about 5 – 10 minutes until completely dry; this will enhance the flavor of the fish sauce and allow it to be preserved longer.
See details: 7 tips to easily and effectively eliminate the fishy smell of fish
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Marinating fish
Put the drained fish into a glass jar, alternating layers of fish and a layer of coarse salt.
Use a bamboo stick or chopsticks to press the marinated fish tightly and seal the jar, keeping it in a dry place away from sunlight for about 10 – 15 days for the fish to absorb the salt.
Tip: Depending on your preference, if you do not want the fish sauce to be too salty, you can reduce the amount of coarse salt to about 150 – 170g for marinating the fish. However, do not reduce the salt too much as it will make the fish sauce bland and not preserve well.
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Mixing toasted rice powder
After about 2 weeks, when the salt has dissolved and absorbed into the fish, take the jar out and use a strainer to drain off the brine.
Add 100g of toasted rice powder and mix well to allow the powder to absorb into the fish.
Once the rice powder is evenly absorbed into the fish, continue to use chopsticks to press the fish tightly, cover the jar, and keep it in a dry place away from sunlight for about 2 months.
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Completion
Place a pot on the stove, add 50ml of water and 500gr of palm sugar to the pot, boil until the sugar water boils, then skim off the foam to keep the water clear and help the fish sauce preserve longer. Continue to stir until the sugar water thickens, then turn off the heat and let it cool.
Take the jar of fish that has absorbed the seasoning after 2 months, pour all the sugar water on top, mix well, and store in a dry place for the sugar to soak into the fish.
After about 2 – 3 months, when the fish has been well fermented and the spices are evenly absorbed, the fish sauce is complete.
Tip: To cook the sugar water faster and save time, you should cut the palm sugar into small pieces!
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Final product
The fish sauce after completion has a very distinctive aroma. The fish is soft, sweet, can be served immediately or combined with other ingredients to make delicious dishes that suit your taste. Wish you success!
Tips for successfully making fish sauce from linh fish
- You should use coarse salt to marinate the fish; coarse salt is salty and does not mix with other substances, which will help the linh fish sauce taste better.
- Note that you should only use palm sugar or crushed sugar to marinate the fish; do not use granulated sugar or rock sugar as it will cause sediment in the sauce, making it less tasty.
- Depending on your preference, you can adjust the amount of roasted rice powder used to marinate the fish. The powder helps make the fish sauce more aromatic.
- Before placing the fish into the glass jar to make the sauce, wash the jar with boiling water, then use a paper towel to wipe it clean for sterilization before making the sauce to ensure safety and prolong the shelf life of the fish sauce.
- You should only use glass jars or containers to make the sauce, not plastic jars, as prolonged fermentation can cause plastic particles to break down, which is very toxic when consumed. Additionally, fish sauce fermented in plastic containers has an unpleasant smell and tastes worse.
How to store linh fish sauce
- You should store the fish sauce in a dry place or in the refrigerator refrigerator. The sauce should be used within 6 – 12 months to ensure it retains its delicious flavor and authentic taste.
- You can divide the sauce into smaller glass jars for storage.
- When enjoying, scoop the fish sauce into a bowl and tightly close the jar. Note that once the sauce is scooped out, do not return it to the jar as it will cause the fish sauce in the jar to spoil and sour quickly.
See more:
Mắm cá linh is truly delicious and rich in flavor, isn’t it? With just a few easily found ingredients, you can make this fish sauce at home, safe and convenient for the whole family to enjoy. Wishing you success!
*Refer to the recipe and images from the YouTube channel HỒNG THANH FOOD
