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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
45 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
If you are looking for a dish for your family’s weekend meal, then hot pot will definitely be a great choice. Today, TasteVN will share with you how to cook spicy and sour mackerel hot pot to change the taste for the whole family. Let’s get cooking right away!
Ingredients for Mackerel Hot Pot For 4 people
Mackerel 1 kg Tomato 1 piece (large) Pineapple 1/2 piece (pineapple) Lemongrass 2 stalks Red onion 3 bulbs Garlic 3 cloves Lemon 1 piece Chili 3 pieces Loofah 1 piece Oyster mushrooms 250 gr Cilantro a little Hot pot vegetables a little (mustard greens/ napa cabbage/ water spinach/….) Fresh noodles 1 kg Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Satay 1 teaspoon Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Rock sugar 3 teaspoons Salt a little
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh mackerel
- You should choose mackerel with bright, clear eyes, slightly protruding, and gills that are bright red and firmly attached to the body of the fish, as these are often fresh and of good quality.
- When selecting mackerel, you also need to carefully observe the belly of the fish because fresh fish usually has a flat, sunken belly and the anus is still retracted inward.
- Additionally, you can gently press on the belly to check the firmness of the fish meat; if it does not deform when pressed, it is a standard mackerel.
- You should not choose fish with cloudy eyes, slightly sunken, and large eye sockets as these are signs that the fish has been chilled for many days or has gills that are dark red, easily separable, and falling off.
How to choose fresh pineapple
- Good, fresh pineapples should not be too hard or too soft; pressing your finger into them should not feel like it sinks in.
- You should choose pineapples with large, sparse eyes, and the greener the crown, the fresher the pineapple.
- Good pineapples when ripe will have a very fragrant smell. Those with dry or brownish crowns or a slightly fermented sour smell are overripe and should not be purchased.
- Also, avoid choosing those with little or no smell as they are not ripe.
How to choose fresh and delicious tomatoes
- Choose tomatoes that are bright red, evenly colored, intact, without bruises or scratches. They should have a light, characteristic tomato aroma.
- It is advisable to select those fruits that still have their stem attached, with a fresh stem firmly attached to the top of the tomato.
- If you touch them and they feel too soft or too hard, or if juice flows out, do not buy them as they may be spoiled.
- Avoid selecting green fruits, those that are bruised, or fruits without a fragrant smell, as they may have been artificially ripened.
Tools needed
Air fryer, stainless steel hotpot, knife, cutting board, mini gas stove,…
How to prepare Mackerel hotpot
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Prepare and fry mackerel
First, to reduce the fishy smell of mackerel, use a little salt and lemon to rub on the fish and then rinse it thoroughly with water 2 – 3 times. Next, cut the fish into thick slices about the width of a finger joint.
After preparing the mackerel and letting it drain, place it in the air fryer and fry at 200 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes until the fish meat is slightly firm and golden gray on both sides.
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Prepare other ingredients
Use a knife to peel and remove the eyes of the pineapple, then wash it clean and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into wedges. Next, peel the shallots and garlic, then mince them finely.
Remove the stems from the oyster mushrooms, soak them in diluted salt water for about 5-10 minutes, then take them out, wash them clean again, and let them drain. Peel the sponge gourd, and cut it into round slices about 1/2 inch thick.
Remove any yellow or wilted leaves from the cilantro and hot pot greens, then wash them clean. Finally, chop the cilantro finely and put it in a bowl.
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Cook the hotpot broth
Place a pot on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, and turn on the high heat. When the oil is hot, add finely chopped shallots and garlic to sauté until fragrant.
Next, add tomatoes and pineapple to stir-fry briefly, then add 1 liter of water and season with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce.
Tip: You can substitute plain water with bone broth, fish head boiling water, or coconut water to make the hotpot broth tastier!Bring the hotpot broth to a boil for about 30 minutes until the tomatoes and pineapple are soft and release their sour taste. Then, season the hotpot broth again with 1 teaspoon of chili paste, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and 3 teaspoons of rock sugar. Adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Finally, pour the broth into the hotpot and add chopped lemongrass and coriander on top.
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Completion
Arrange the hotpot vegetables, fried mackerel, and noodles on a plate. Place the hotpot broth on a mini gas stove, then heat the broth so that you can dip the vegetables and fish as you eat.
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Finished Product
The broth is sour, spicy, and incredibly rich. The mackerel is soft and fatty, paired excellently with various vegetables, mushrooms, and noodles. Don’t forget to prepare a bowl of chili fish sauce to enhance the flavor of the hot pot!
On a cool day, gathering with family to enjoy fresh sour and spicy mackerel hot pot like this is just perfect.
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I hope the way to cook mackerel hot pot that TasteVN just shared will help enrich your family’s meal menu. Wishing you success in making this dish!
