How to Make Delicious and Appealing Nhệch Fish Salad (Nhệch Salad) with Authentic Flavor That is Easy to Prepare

How to prepare Grilled Snakehead Fish Salad (Gỏi nhệch)

• 1

  Preparing the fish

  To clean and eliminate the fishy smell of snakehead fish, after purchasing, you need to clean off the slime, remove the internal organs, and the head of the snakehead fish.

  Then wash it thoroughly with 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of vinegar, rubbing the snakehead fish with the salt-vinegar mixture for about 5 minutes and then rinsing it with clean water.

  Next, take 2 fish and cut them into pieces; for the remaining fish, peel the skin, separate the bones, and cut into bite-sized strips, about the thickness of a finger.

  How to clean snakehead fish effectively, without any slime:

  • Method 1: You can use kitchen ash to cover the body of the snakehead fish and scrape off the ash to effectively clean the slime.
  • Method 2: Use salt to rub the snakehead fish, then rinse several times along the spine with lemon juice to help remove the slime.
  • Method 3: Use lime to rub the snakehead fish, then rinse several times and wash with clean water.

  See details: How to easily and effectively eliminate fishy smell

  

  

  

  
• 2

  Prepare other ingredients

  Wash the accompanying vegetables and let them drain. Peel the galangal, slice it, and pound half of it into a paste.

  Slice the chili. Peel the shallots and garlic, then chop them finely. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into wedges. Wash the lime leaves and chop them finely.

  Cut off the tough ends of the lemongrass and slice it thinly.

  

  
• 3

  Fry the fish

  Place a pan on the stove over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil, and wait for the oil to heat up before adding the fish cut into pieces. Fry for about 20 minutes until both sides are golden, then remove it and let it drain.

  Continue using the same pan to fry the fish bones for 20 minutes until they are golden and crispy, then turn off the heat.

  Note: Depending on your preference, you can also fry some additional fish and fish bones to serve alongside, but it is not mandatory.

  

  
• 4

  Making dipping sauce for fish salad

  Place a pan on the stove over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil, wait for the oil to heat up, then add half of the sliced shallots and garlic to sauté until fragrant, followed by adding tomatoes to stir-fry.

  When the tomatoes are soft, add 200ml of water, 5 tablespoons of fermented rice (mẻ), and the fried fish, stir well, then turn off the heat.

  Let the mixture cool down a bit, then put it in a blender to puree the mixture, and pour it back into the pot to bring it back to a boil.

  Season with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate, and adjust the seasoning to taste.

  Add 4 tablespoons of cooking oil, 2 tablespoons of annatto oil, stir well, and turn off the heat.

  Tip: Adding cooking oil to the dipping sauce helps it stay hot longer and gives it a richer aroma.

  

  
• 5

  Mixing the fish salad

  Add the shredded fish into a bowl, add lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, roasted rice powder, and mix well to ensure the rice powder coats the fish evenly.

  

  
• 6

  Final Product

  You place the fish on a plate, and when eating, wrap it with herbs like Vietnamese coriander, pennywort leaves, mugwort leaves, betel leaves, fig leaves,… add some ginger and chili (to taste) and dip it in the dipping sauce. If you like, you can also dip it in shrimp paste to enhance the flavor.

  The fish meat is tender, not fishy, complemented by the sour and bitter taste of the accompanying herbs, the rich and fragrant dipping sauce, the creamy and tangy taste along with the fried fish and fish bones are also extremely delicious, ensuring that one time is enough to remember forever, let’s get into the kitchen and make it.