Preparation

1 hour
Difficulty

Medium

Sea bass is an attractive ingredient and can be prepared in many delicious dishes. TasteVN suggests you the recipe for spicy Sichuan sea bass that is rich and enticing right at home. Let’s get cooking now with this delicious grilled dish.

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1 Prepare the barramundi

2 Grill the fish

3 Prepare the broth for the sauce

4 Make Sichuan Spicy Sauce

5 Completion

6 Final Product

Ingredients for Grilled Sea Bass with Sichuan Sauce Serves 4 people

Sea bass 1 fish (about 500g) Star anise 10 g Cloves 10 g Cinnamon stick 10 g Bay leaf 5 g Green pepper 15 g Cardamom 10 gr Onion 30 g Green chili 3 pieces Red chili 3 pieces Chopped ginger 15 g Chopped garlic 15 g Dried chili 15 g

How to choose fresh and delicious barramundi

For whole fish, you should choose healthy ones that move actively. Delicious barramundi typically has a slightly larger head and a pointed snout.
You should also pay attention to selecting fish that have intact dorsal fins and tails. Good fish have a round protruding tail, gray body, and naturally silver belly.
For filleted fish, choose pieces that are light pink in color, not too dark or too light. The flesh should be firm and especially not leaking fluid or having a foul smell.

Ingredients for grilled barramundi with Sichuan sauce

Tools needed

Oven, knife, cutting board,

How to make Grilled Barramundi with Sichuan Sauce

1

Prepare the barramundi

You can buy pre-prepared barramundi at supermarkets or reputable food stores to save time. Then use sliced lemon to gently rub over the fish to clean off the slime.

If you don’t have lemon, you can rub with salt or wash the fish with cold water mixed with a bit of alcohol or vinegar. Continue to rinse the fish with clean water once more, then put it in a colander to drain.

Next, use paper towels to wipe off any remaining water on the fish to make it easier to marinate.

Use a sharp knife to make light cuts in the fish flesh, about 3-4 cuts on one side depending on the size of the fish. The purpose is to allow the seasoning to penetrate easily while cutting through the collagen layer on the fish’s skin. So, do not cut the fish flesh off like filleting.
2

Grill the fish

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius for 10 – 15 minutes to stabilize it before grilling the fish.

Place the fish on a baking tray, sprinkle a little salt and pepper, then put it in the oven to grill at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 – 30 minutes until the fish is cooked.

You can also substitute the oven with a charcoal grill to grill the fish. However, be careful to monitor so that the fish cooks evenly and does not burn.
3

Prepare the broth for the sauce

Place a pan on the stove and add herbs including cloves, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, bay leaves, and green pepper to toast for fragrance.

Toast for about 5 – 6 minutes until everything is fragrant, then add 1.5 liters of water to the pot and bring to a boil.

Simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes to let the ingredients infuse into the water, then turn off the heat and strain to collect the broth.
4

Make Sichuan Spicy Sauce

First, you need to finely chop the ingredients such as green chili, red chili, and ginger.

Place a pan on the stove, add about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the dried chili, minced garlic, and ginger, then sauté until fragrant.

Next, add 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of chili powder, and 1 tablespoon of ketchup, then stir everything well.

Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the cornstarch mixed with water into the pan and cook until the mixture thickens, then turn off the heat.
5

Completion

After grilling the fish, place it on a plate and pour the sauce over it, then enjoy.

You can put the fish on a stainless steel plate and heat it over low flame for a while longer so that the fish absorbs the spices better.
6

Final Product

Sichuan Spicy Barramundi is a very unique and extremely appealing dish. The dish will have a strong and distinctive spicy flavor, but the fish still retains its natural sweetness. You can serve it with fresh vegetables and wrap it in rice paper with fresh noodles like other familiar grilled fish dishes.