Quick method to cook fish with tender bones, soft meat, and save cooking time

1 How to choose fresh and delicious fish

Choose fresh and delicious fish, quality is the first step to cook fish tender quickly and the meat is evenly cooked and visually appealing.

To select fresh and delicious fish, you can observe the outside of the fish. If the fish’s skin is still slippery and shiny, the eyes are not cloudy, the scales are not detached, the gills are bright red, and when placed in water, the fish sinks, that is fresh fish.

Avoid buying fish that show signs of bloating, swimming weakly, pale color, and cloudy eyes because these fish may have been dead for a long time, so the meat is no longer fresh or of good quality.

2 Some ways to cook fish tender quickly

Use a specialized cooking pot

Most Vietnamese families use earthen pots or stainless steel pots to cook fish, but this method will cause the fish to take a long time to cook if not done properly and is quite time-consuming.

Thus, to cook fish quickly, you should use a specialized pot. Using specialized cooking pots such as slow cookers or pressure cookers will help the fish cook faster and especially cook evenly from the outside to the inside.

Cover the pot tightly and cook over medium heat

You arrange the fish after it has been cleaned and seasoned well into the pot, ensuring enough space for other ingredients to be cooked together.

In the initial period, you should cover the pot tightly and cook the fish over medium heat for 15 minutes. After that, reduce the heat so that the fish gradually absorbs the seasoning.

If you like soft bones, you should add plenty of water, so that when the water thickens, the fish will be properly cooked.

Pay attention to the cooking time of the fish

For fish with a lot of bones and firmness, you should cook until the fish bones become soft. The most important thing is to adjust the heat and temperature so that the fish cooks evenly.

For smaller fish with softer bones, you only need to simmer for about 25 minutes over low heat. For larger fish, cut them into 2 – 3 pieces for even cooking after simmering.

Cook fish with sour ingredients

A good tip to help cook fish with soft bones quickly and evenly is to cook fish with sour ingredients such as: tomatoes, pickled vegetables, pineapple,…

You can add a little lemon juice or vinegar to make the fish both evenly cooked and delicious, while also bringing a new flavor for the whole family.

3Note when cooking fish with soft bones quickly

One of the most important notes when cooking fish is to ensure that the fish meat is tender, firm, and not mushy.

For freshwater fish, you should marinate before cooking. Marinate the fish first with sugar, then add the spices to marinate together, and continue marinating for about 30 – 60 minutes to help the fish become firmer.

When cooking fish with the initial heat, you should let it cool a bit and then cook again. Fish cooked with two heats or more will have firmer meat, be tender, and have a very rich flavor.

For sea fish, you should fry it briefly. After that, marinate the fish with fish sauce, onion, garlic, sugar, and various spices before proceeding to stew.

Hope that after applying this quick method for tender fish with soft bones, you will succeed in cooking a pot of appealing fish stew. Don’t forget to follow Cooking Tips to add more delicious cooking tricks for yourself!