Simple, Delicious Crispy Fried Catfish with Garlic Chili Sauce, Irresistible to Eat

How to Make Crispy Snakehead Fish

• 1

  Prepare the snakehead fish

  When you bring the snakehead fish home, scale it, remove the gills and fins, then clean the insides thoroughly.

  Then rinse the fish with water once and use salt and vinegar to rub around the body, head, and inside the belly of the fish, then use a knife to scrape it lightly to reduce slime and eliminate the fishy smell.

  After rubbing with salt and vinegar, rinse the fish with water again until clean.

  
• 2

  Make garlic chili sauce

  Peel the garlic, wash it clean, and mince it finely. Remove the stems from the chili peppers, wash them clean, and mince them finely.

  Take a bowl, then add 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of chili sauce, 2 tablespoons of water, 1/2 of the minced garlic, and a little minced chili depending on your family’s spice preference, then stir everything together until well combined.

  Place a pan on the stove and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Wait for the oil to heat up, then add the remaining 1/2 of the minced garlic and sauté until golden and fragrant.

  When the garlic is golden and fragrant, pour the prepared sauce into the pan, simmer on low heat, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens, then you can turn off the heat.

  

  

  

  
• 3

  Fry the fish

  Place a pan of oil on the stove, heat until the oil is hot, then add 3 – 4 slices of ginger so that the fish doesn’t splatter oil when frying and becomes crispier.

  Then reduce the heat and slowly drop the fish into the hot oil, ladling the bubbling oil over the top of the fish.

  Be sure to flip the fish so that it cooks evenly on both sides. Continue this process until the fish is cooked through and has a uniform golden brown color on both sides.

  When the fish is cooked, remove it and place it in the sauce pan you made earlier, and turn on the stove. Flip the fish in the sauce over low heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute to let it absorb the seasoning before turning off the heat and plating it for serving.

  Tips for frying crispy fish that doesn’t stick to the pan and doesn’t splatter oil:

  • You should not add the fish too early when the oil isn’t hot enough; make sure to heat the oil before slowly adding the fish for frying, and there should be enough oil to cover at least half of the fish.
  • The simplest way to prevent the fish from sticking to the pan is to use a non-stick pan. If you don’t have a non-stick pan, heat the pan first and rub 2 – 3 slices of ginger on the surface to create a non-stick layer.
  • Avoid using chopsticks to flip the fish multiple times while frying, as this can cause the fish to break apart; wait for one side to turn golden before flipping it over.
  • Specifically, do not fry the fish over high heat; it should only be fried over medium heat. This way, the fish will cook evenly, as it may burn on the outside while remaining raw inside. Additionally, high temperatures will release water from the fish, making it dry and causing the skin to stick to the pan.
  • Besides simmering the fish in sauce as mentioned, you can serve the fish on a separate plate and use garlic chili sauce for dipping.

  

  

  

  
• 4

  Final Product

  Crispy snakehead fish with garlic chili sauce after completion has the sweetness of the fish meat combined with the rich garlic chili sauce that enhances the deliciousness of the fish, very appealing.