Salmon head is a nutritious and delicious food that can be prepared into various dishes such as stews, soups,… Today, TasteVN will show you 2 ways to make sour salmon head soup to change the family’s meal flavor. Let’s get cooking right away!
1. Sour salmon head soup with shrimp
Preparation time
50 minutes
Difficulty level
Easy
Ingredients for Sour salmon head soup with shrimp Serves 5
Salmon head 500 gr Shrimp 200 gr Mint 200 gr (Vietnamese coriander) Tomato 3 fruits Pineapple 1 fruit Okra 300 gr Garlic 3 cloves Chili paste 1 tablespoon Tamarind 50 gr Cooking oil a little Herbs 50 gr (cilantro/hypericum) Wine a little (or vinegar) Common spices a little (salt/seasoning/pepper/sugar)
Implementation tools
How to choose fresh and delicious shrimp
- Fresh and delicious shrimp have a clear, bright shell. Do not choose shrimp that have turned cloudy, with black legs or heads, as these are old shrimp that are no longer good.
- Fresh and delicious shrimp are straight, with tails folded together. The head and legs are firmly attached to the body. Shrimp that have lost their heads or are curved are spoiled and should not be bought.
- Holding the shrimp, if it feels firm and sturdy, it is fresh; if it is soft and mushy, it is spoiled.
- Fresh shrimp have the characteristic smell of seafood, not a foul or spoiled smell.
See details: How to choose fresh shrimp
How to prepare Sour Salmon Head Soup with Shrimp
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Prepare and marinate shrimp and fish
When buying salmon, ask the seller to cut it into small pieces and clean it, removing the fish’s blood. Then rinse 2 – 3 times with cold water, rubbing the fish and shrimp with salt. Next, briefly blanch the fish and shrimp in a pot of water mixed with a little wine or vinegar.
Marinate the shrimp and fish with 1/2 spoon of pepper, 1 spoon of salt, and 1 spoon of seasoning powder for 15 – 20 minutes to absorb the flavors.
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Prepare other ingredients
Tomatoes cut into wedges. Mint and okra cut diagonally about 2 finger lengths. Pineapple peeled and chopped.
Tamarind placed in a bowl, pour about 150 – 200ml of hot water in and use a spoon to mash the tamarind to extract the juice.
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Stir-fry the ingredients
Put a little oil in a pan, add 3 cloves of garlic and sauté until fragrant, then add pineapple and stir-fry for about 3 – 5 minutes, continue to add tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of chili sauce. When the tomatoes release their color, add about 1.25 liters of water along with the tamarind juice.
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Cook the soup
Season with: 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons of sugar.
Cover and cook until the soup boils, then add mint, okra, fish, and shrimp, cooking for an additional 5 – 7 minutes before turning off the heat and scooping into a bowl, served with fresh herbs.
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Final product
Enjoy the incredibly simple, delicious sour salmon head soup with your family, with tender, fatty fish and rich broth; you can serve it with vermicelli or rice.
2. Sour salmon head soup (recipe shared by a user)
Preparation
20 minutes
Cooking
25 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Sour Salmon Head Soup (recipe shared by a user) Serves 3
Salmon head 350 gr Pineapple 1/4 fruit (pineapple) Tomato 3 fruits Bean sprouts a little Seasoning herbs a little (cilantro/ rice paddy herb) Green onion 2 stalks Shallot 3 bulbs Chili 1 fruit Cooking oil 3 tablespoons Fish sauce 3 tablespoons Common spices a little (Salt/ monosodium glutamate/ seasoning powder/ ground pepper/ sugar)
Tools needed
Ingredient image
How to make Sour Salmon Head Soup (recipe shared by a user)
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Prepare the salmon head
To reduce the fishy smell of the salmon head, we will soak the salmon head in diluted saltwater for about 5 – 10 minutes, then rinse with clean water and place in a colander to drain.
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Prepare other ingredients
Shallots are peeled, the roots are cut off, chilies are de-stemmed, then washed and chopped finely. Vietnamese coriander, spring onions, and cilantro are trimmed of roots and wilted leaves, then washed and drained.
Peel the pineapple, cut off the core and eyes, then rinse with water and slice thinly for eating. For tomatoes, remove the stems, wash thoroughly, and cut into wedges.
Remove any rotten bean sprouts, then wash thoroughly with 2 – 3 changes of water and drain in a colander.
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Marinating salmon head
After draining, place the salmon head into a bowl, marinate with 1/2 of the amount of minced shallots and chili, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 spoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 teaspoon of salt, 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper. Use chopsticks to mix well and marinate for about 15 – 20 minutes for the spices to absorb evenly.
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Cooking Soup
Place a pan on the stove and turn on high heat, add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil, wait for the oil to heat up, then add the remaining minced shallots and chili. Wait for the shallots and chili to turn golden and fragrant, then add the salmon head and stir-fry until cooked, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes, then add 1/3 of the chopped tomatoes and stir for another 3 – 5 minutes.
Next, add 500ml of water to the pot and bring to a boil on high heat, after the water boils, add all the sautéed salmon head into the water. Wait another 2 minutes until the water boils again, then skim off the foam that rises to the surface.
Then, add the remaining tomatoes and pineapple that have been chopped into the pot and cook for another 5 minutes, then add the bean sprouts. Season to taste, then turn off the heat. Sprinkle chopped green onions, cilantro, and Vietnamese coriander on top to make the sour salmon head soup more fragrant and appealing.
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Final Product
Scoop the soup into a bowl and enjoy! The sour soup with salmon head has a distinctive aroma thanks to the herbs and cilantro, with a sweet and sour taste that is incredibly rich, and the fish head is fatty and delicious. You can prepare a bowl of spicy chili fish sauce to enjoy with it!
How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Salmon Heads
- Choose salmon heads that have a slightly green and shiny silver color, with the flesh inside having a natural pink-orange color and clear eyes.
- Choose fish with clear, shiny, slightly bulging eyes that are not cloudy or yellowish. If you see the salmon’s eyes are cloudy, do not choose this fish head as it indicates the fish is no longer fresh.
- Imported salmon heads from Norway will have sweet, fatty flesh, and the orange color of the flesh will be darker compared to farmed salmon in Vietnam, specifically in Sa Pa.
How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Tomatoes
- You should choose tomatoes with smooth skin, plump and juicy, bright red color, and still have green stems.
- Avoid choosing fruits that are blackened or have small black spots, or have uneven colors of both green and red.
- If touching with your hand feels too soft or too hard, or if there is juice flowing out, do not buy them as they may be spoiled.
See more:
Above are 2 recipes for salmon head sour soup that TasteVN wants to share with you. We hope these 2 recipes will help make your family meals more diverse. Wishing you success in your cooking!
