Mackerel is an ingredient for many delicious and nutritious dishes for the family meal. Today, let’s join TasteVN into the kitchen to make soup with mackerel using two suggested recipes to cool off during a hot summer day!
1. Mackerel soup
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Mackerel soup For 2 people
Mackerel 500 gr Tomatoes 3 fruits Celery 1 stalk Chinese celery 1 stalk Horned chili 1 piece Spring onions A little Shallots 1 bulb Garlic 2 cloves Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Rice vinegar 2 teaspoons Fish sauce 1/2 tablespoon Common spices A little ( salt/ sugar/ seasoning powder)
Ingredient image
How to Prepare Mackerel for Stewing
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Prepare Ingredients
After purchasing the mackerel, clean it, gut it, remove all the intestines, gills, fins, and tail, then rinse it thoroughly with water. After that, cut the fish in half.
Shallots and garlic should be peeled, washed, and finely chopped.
Chili should be washed clean, chop 1/2 of the chili finely, and slice the remaining part.
Tomatoes should be washed and cut into wedges. Celery and Chinese celery should be washed and cut diagonally. Spring onions should be washed and cut into pieces.
Methods to Remove the Fishy Smell from Mackerel:
- Method 1: Use salt or ginger water to rub all over the fish to reduce the fishy smell and sliminess, then rinse again with clean water.
- Method 2: Washing the fish with lemon juice and rice vinegar, then rinsing with clean water is also very effective in removing the fishy smell.
See details: 7 ways to easily and effectively remove fishy smell
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Marinate fish
You use 1/2 of the onion, minced garlic, and 1/2 of a minced chili to marinate the fish.
Next, add to the fish 1 spoon of seasoning powder, 2 teaspoons of rice vinegar and mix until the seasoning dissolves and absorbs evenly.
Then, marinate the fish for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Tip: Marinating fish with rice vinegar helps effectively remove the fishy smell!
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Cooking Soup
You place a pot on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, wait for the oil to heat up, then add the remaining minced onion and garlic to sauté until fragrant.
Then, add half of the tomatoes to stir-fry over medium heat and season with 1 teaspoon of seasoning and stir well.
After the tomatoes absorb the seasoning, remove them from the pot.
Now, add 1.2 liters of boiling water to the pot, then add 1 teaspoon of seasoning, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the marinated fish, cooking on low heat for 15 minutes.
Next, add the sautéed tomatoes along with the raw tomatoes to the pot, season with an additional 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce and increase the heat to cook the tomatoes for about another 1 – 2 minutes.
Finally, add all the green onions, celery, and cilantro, and taste to adjust the seasoning before turning off the heat.
Tip:- To prevent the onions from burning, which can make the soup bitter and less delicious, you should only sauté the onions until they are slightly golden.
- To keep the soup clear, cook on low heat and do not cover the pot; cooking on high heat will make the fish mushy and the soup cloudy.
- The soup will be clearer and more fragrant if you skim off the foam when it boils.
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Final Product
The soup made from silver mackerel is appealing, with firm, delicious fish meat harmonizing with the sweet and sour broth of tomatoes, the spiciness of chili, and the fragrant aroma of cilantro and green onions, making the soup unexpectedly tasty.
This soup is best enjoyed with white rice on hot summer days. Show off your cooking skills and make it right away!
2. Silver Mackerel Soup (recipe shared by a user)
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Silver Mackerel Soup (recipe shared by a user) Serves 4
Silver mackerel 300 gr Tomatoes 3 fruits Pineapple 1/4 fruit Green onions/cilantro 4 sprigs Chili 1 fruit Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Common seasoning a little (salt/sugar/MSG)
How to choose fresh and delicious pineapple
- Based on color: Choose fruits that have an eye-catching yellow color, sometimes mixed with green. Avoid buying fruits that are unevenly colored, especially those that have turned brown as they are overripe and about to spoil.
- Based on shape: Short and round fruits usually have more flesh compared to elongated ones. Choose pineapples with larger eyes as these are naturally ripe and will not lose much flesh when peeled.
- Based on aroma: Fruits that have a sweet, not too strong fragrance are perfectly ripe and ready to eat. If you smell something too strong, those are overripe fruits that spoil quickly and may undergo natural fermentation.
- Based on touch: A perfectly ripe pineapple will have slightly wrinkled skin, and pressing it will give a moderate softness. If it feels hard and heavy, those are unripe pineapples.
How to prepare Mackerel cooked with vegetables (recipe shared by users)
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Prepare mackerel
Buy mackerel, clean it, cut off the tail and remove the intestines. To save time, you can ask the seller to clean the fish for you when purchasing.
To reduce the fishy smell, rub salt directly onto the fish for about 5 minutes, then rinse 2 – 3 times with clean water and let it drain.
Tips to reduce the fishy smell of mackerel- Method 1: You can soak the fish in diluted saltwater or rice washing water for about 10 minutes, then rinse with clean water.
- Method 2: To reduce the smell and remove the slime, you can soak the fish in a diluted vinegar solution for about 5 – 7 minutes.
- Method 3: You can also use diluted white alcohol to marinate the fish for 2 – 4 minutes and then dry it without rinsing.
See details: Tips to reduce the fishy smell of mackerel
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Prepare other ingredients
Remove the stem from the tomatoes, wash them clean, and cut them into wedges.
Peel the pineapple, wash it clean, drain it, and cut it into thin slices about 1/2 finger length. To save time, you should buy pre-peeled pineapple.
Chop off the roots and wilted leaves of the green onions and cilantro, wash them clean with water. Separate the green onion tops from the stems, crush the stems, and then chop them finely.
For chili, remove the stems and rinse briefly with water.
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Cooking Soup
Put a pot on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and heat it over medium heat, wait for the oil to get hot, then add minced green onions and chopped chili directly to sauté until fragrant, then add tomatoes and pineapple to stir-fry together. When fragrant and the tomatoes start to soften, add 2 bowls of water (rice bowl) and bring to a boil over high heat for about 10 minutes.
Next, season the pot with a mixture of spices including: 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate.
Wait for the pot to boil vigorously, then add the fish into the pot, cook for another 5 – 7 minutes until the fish is cooked, then taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference, finally add chopped herbs and turn off the stove.
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Finished Dish
So, the dish of braised silver pomfret soup is ready. Serve the soup in a bowl to enjoy with your family.
The soup has the natural sweetness of the fish, a light sourness from the pineapple and tomatoes, and goes very well with hot rice. If you prefer a stronger flavor, you can prepare a bowl of fish sauce for dipping the fish when eating.
How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Silver Pomfret
- Fresh silver pomfret should have a slippery, shiny body with a bright color. The body of fresh silver pomfret is firm, and when you hold it in the middle, it does not bend. Additionally, silver pomfret has a characteristic fishy smell and does not emit unpleasant rotten odors.
- You should choose fish with bulging, clear, sparkling eyes, bright natural scales that shimmer. When gently pressed, the fish meat should be firm, with good elasticity, leaving no fingerprints on the flesh.
- Avoid selecting silver pomfret that has a pale color, lacks shine, and bends down when held in the middle. The eyes of the fish are usually dull, and the inside is not clear, indicating that they have spoiled.
How to choose fresh and delicious tomatoes
- You should choose tomatoes that have a bright red color and are evenly colored, with firm and plump skin.
- You should choose ripe tomatoes that have a natural fragrance.
- You should not buy tomatoes that are ripe but lack fragrance, as these may have been injected with ripening agents, which are not safe to consume, or those that are scratched or bruised.
With just a few simple steps, you can immediately have the dish of silver pomfret soup with 2 simple yet delicious and appealing recipes for your beloved family to enjoy. Wish you success with TasteVN’s sharing!
