4 ways to cook delicious and flavorful grouper head hotpot for the whole family

Prepare the Marinade Spice Mixture

Place a pan on the stove and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. When the oil is hot, gradually add 2 tablespoons of minced lemongrass, 1 tablespoon of fried garlic, and 1 teaspoon of minced chili, stir briefly until fragrant.

Continue to season with 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of salt, and 1/2 cup of crushed roasted peanuts.

Stir until the spice mixture is well combined, then turn off the heat and transfer the spices into a bowl to marinate.

Prepare and marinate the barramundi head

Wash the 800g barramundi head with water mixed with vinegar, then rinse with cold water. After that, let it drain, then cut the barramundi head in half, and continue to cut it in half again to make bite-sized pieces.

Marinate the fish with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, and 1/2 of the prepared spice mixture. Mix well for the fish to absorb the spices evenly.

Prepare other ingredients

Soak and wash the vegetables thoroughly, then let them drain. Cut the 400g water spinach into bite-sized pieces about 3 finger lengths, and cut the cilantro and coriander into pieces about 1 – 2 finger lengths.

Smash 2 stalks of lemongrass and cut them into pieces, cut 2 tomatoes into wedges, and cut 1/4 of a pineapple into slices.

Sauté the fish

Add about 4 tablespoons of cooking oil into a pot placed on medium heat, and add lemongrass to stir-fry until fragrant.

Add the marinated fish head and stir constantly until the fish meat is firm.

Cook the hotpot

Add 2 liters of boiling water into the pot with the fish and cook on medium heat until the fish head is just cooked, then add the herbs and tomatoes.

Add 1/2 of the remaining marinated spice mixture and season with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce. Finally, transfer the pot to the electric hotpot to enjoy.

Final Product

Grouper head hotpot with kettle vegetables served with fresh vermicelli and other hotpot vegetables such as water lily stems, pumpkin flowers, water spinach, bean sprouts, and enoki mushrooms.

The fish meat is soaked in spices but does not overpower its natural sweetness, while the kettle vegetable stems are crunchy; the hotpot broth is a blend of sweet and sour, mixed with the fragrant and spicy aroma of various spices. The rich flavor is perfectly blended, making you want to eat endlessly!

Prepare and Marinate Fish Head

After purchasing the fish head, wash it thoroughly and cut it into pieces.

Put 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce into a bowl and stir until the monosodium glutamate dissolves evenly.

Next, add the fish and stir well to let the fish absorb the seasoning!

Prepare Other Ingredients

Cut the tomatoes into wedges, slice the pineapple thinly, crush and cut the lemongrass into pieces, and chop the basil leaves!

Stir-fry fish head briefly

Place a pan on the stove over medium heat, add a little cooking oil, when the oil is hot, add 2 tablespoons of minced lemongrass and 1 tablespoon of dried chili powder to fry until fragrant.

Next, add 600g of marinated fish heads into the pan, stir well and stir-fry for about 1 minute until the fish heads are just firm.

Cook the hot pot

When the fish heads are just firm, immediately add 1.5 liters of boiled filtered water into the pan.

Once the water boils, add 3 stalks of lemongrass cut into pieces, 5 dried bird’s eye chilies, tomatoes, and pineapple.

Next, add 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, and stir well.

Finally, turn off the heat and add 3 tablespoons of vinegar, and our hot pot dish is complete!

Finished Product

So the dry chili fish head hot pot is complete. When eating, add some basil, water lily stems, morning glory flowers, enoki mushrooms, and kèo nèo greens, and enjoy.

The fish head meat is sweet and tender, absorbed with spices, and the hot pot broth is both spicy and sweet, with a refreshing sourness, piping hot, and deeply flavorful.

Prepare the chicken bone broth

First, prepare a pot with 2.5 liters of boiling water, add 1 tablespoon of salt, 50g of smashed ginger, 2 tablespoons of white wine, and a bundle of chopped green onion into the pot.

Add 500g of chicken bones and blanch for 2 minutes, then remove them!

Next, prepare 2.5 liters of fresh filtered water to add to the pot, along with a few roots of coriander, 100g of diced cassava, 400g of vertically sliced sugarcane, a piece of American corn cut into sections, and the chicken bones.

Then add the medicinal ingredients including 10g of Chinese yam, 10g of Codonopsis pilosula, and 10g of Dioscorea opposita into the pot.

Simmer over medium heat for 1 hour to extract the broth!

Prepare the ingredients

For 500g of taro, use a knife to peel and cut into bite-sized cubes, 200g of napa cabbage cut into sections, 200g of sliced shiitake mushrooms, and clean enoki mushrooms while trimming off the ends.

Fry Taro

Add 100ml of cooking oil to a pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the diced taro and fry until it is lightly golden and crispy on the edges, then remove it to drain the oil.

Next, remove some excess oil from the pan, add 1 spoon of minced garlic, 50g of julienned ginger, 2 sliced chili peppers, and 1 tablespoon of chili paste and stir-fry until fragrant.

Then, add the lightly fried taro back into the pan and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. When the taro is evenly coated with the spices, turn off the heat!

Lightly Fry the Fish Head

Next, you can continue to use the pan that you previously fried the taro in to fry the fish head.

When the oil is hot, add 2kg of grouper fish heads and lightly fry over medium heat until the fish meat firms up to avoid any fishy smell.

Cook the Hotpot

The chicken bone broth has simmered for 1 hour, so remove all the ingredients and add the sautéed taro, cooking for another 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, add the fish heads and 300ml of unsweetened fresh milk.

Next, add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of rock sugar, and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, and boil for another 10 minutes to complete the hotpot dish.

Final Product

So the marinated fish head hot pot dish is ready. Divide the hot pot into smaller pots and add various vegetables for dipping, then enjoy!

The hot pot is steaming, fragrant, with tender and sweet fish, chewy taro, and a rich and aromatic broth—it’s wonderful!

Prepare the ingredients

Clean 2kg of snapper heads with salt, drain, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Then take 3 tomatoes cut into wedges, 1/4 pineapple, and 3 chili peppers sliced, and chop the cilantro.

The vegetables include 1 sprig of mint, 100g okra, 100g water spinach, and 100g water celery, all cut into bite-sized pieces.

Cook the sour hot pot broth

Put 1.5 liters of filtered water into a pot and heat over medium heat, then add 3 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of seasoning, 1/2 tablespoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, stirring well to dissolve the seasonings.

When the water boils, add 150g of tamarind juice through a sieve and dip it into the boiling water, stir well and press to extract the tamarind juice, then discard the tamarind pulp.

Then skim off the foam, reduce to low heat, and add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce.

Cooking Hot Pot

Add sliced lemongrass to the hot pot water and set the heat to medium. When the hot pot water boils, continue to add the fish head and stir well.

Finally, add the chopped cilantro, sliced chili, and fried garlic to complete the hot pot dish.

Final Product

The finished sour fish head hot pot will have a sweet and tangy flavor, with tender and sweet fish meat. It pairs well with fresh noodles, water spinach, celery, bean sprouts, and tomatoes!