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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour
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Difficulty
Medium
Fish sauce made from snakehead fish is one of the specialties of the Mekong Delta with a rich flavor that goes well with rice. Today, the Cooking Tips section of TasteVN will guide you on how to make this fish sauce at home!
Ingredients for Snakehead Fish Sauce For 4 people
Snakehead fish 1 fish (about 300gr) Coarse salt 100 gr Roasted rice powder 100 gr Granulated sugar 100 gr (or palm sugar) Lime 2 fruits
How to choose good ingredients
How to choose fresh snakehead fish
- For snakehead fish sauce, you should choose wild snakehead fish for the best flavor.
- Choose snakehead fish with a sharp and firm head. The fish should be of moderate size, not too fatty and not too skinny.
- Choose fish that have a uniform dark color and a characteristic fishy smell.
- Avoid choosing overly fatty fish that are brownish-gray, as these are farmed fish, which have soft flesh, less sweetness, and will not be as fragrant when making sauce compared to wild snakehead fish.
How to choose delicious fragrant rice flour
- Choose rice flour with a very pleasant distinctive aroma and an attractive brownish-yellow color.
- Do not buy rice flour that has no smell or has a strange smell, and has a pale color, as this may be flour made from low-quality rice or has been stored for too long, which will not be delicious when making fish sauce.
- You can easily find rice flour in markets, grocery stores, or e-commerce websites nationwide.
- Additionally, if you have time, you can refer to the method of making rice flour at home according to the recipe from TasteVN.
Tools needed
How to prepare snakehead fish sauce
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Prepare snakehead fish
After purchasing, clean the snakehead fish, remove the intestines, gills, scales under the fins, and blood vessels.
Then wash the fish thoroughly several times with diluted lemon juice to reduce the fishy smell and sliminess, and then let it drain.
Once the fish is drained, cut it into 3 – 4 pieces suitable for eating.
Tip: To eliminate the fishy smell and sliminess, you can also use coarse salt to rub directly on the fish body, and then rinse the fish several times with water.
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Marinate the fish
Place the cut fish into a glass jar, layering one layer of fish followed by a layer of salt, then press down to fill the gaps in the jar with salt.
Use a bamboo stick or chopsticks to tightly press the marinated fish and seal the jar, keeping it in a dry place away from sunlight for about 5 – 6 days for the fish to absorb the salt.
Tip: Depending on your preference, if you don’t want the fish sauce to be too salty, you can reduce the amount of salt to about 70 – 80g for marinating the fish. However, do not reduce the salt too much as it will make the fish sauce bland and not preserve well.
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Mixing the Fermented Rice
After about 5 – 6 days, when the salt has dissolved and soaked into the fish, take the jar out, drain the saltwater, and add 100g of roasted rice powder, mixing well so that the powder is absorbed into the fish.
When the powder has evenly absorbed into the fish, continue to use chopsticks to press the fish tightly, cover the jar, and place it in a dry area away from sunlight for about 1 month.
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Completion
Place a pot on the stove, add 30ml of water and 100g of sugar, and boil until the sugar water starts to bubble. Skim off the foam to keep the water clear and help preserve the fish sauce for a longer time. Continue to stir until the sugar water thickens, then turn off the heat and let it cool.
Take the jar of fish that has absorbed the powder out after 1 month, pour all the sugar water on top, mix well, and leave it in a dry place for the sugar to soak into the fish.
After about 2 – 3 months, when the fish has been properly fermented and the spices have evenly penetrated, the fish sauce is complete. You can take it out to make dishes right away.
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Final Product
The fish sauce after completion has an eye-catching color and a very distinctive aroma. The fish absorbs the seasoning and is firm; you can steam the sauce to use immediately or combine it with other ingredients to make delicious dishes. Wishing you success!
Tips for successfully making snakehead fish sauce
- You should use coarse salt to marinate the fish, as coarse salt is salty and does not contain other additives, which will help the snakehead fish sauce taste more authentic.
- Note that you should only use palm sugar or powdered sugar to marinate the fish, do not use granulated sugar or rock sugar as it will make the fish sauce gritty and less tasty.
- Depending on your preference, you can adjust the amount of rice powder used to marinate the fish. Rice powder helps enhance the flavor of the fish sauce.
- Only use glass jars or containers to make fish sauce, avoid using plastic jars as prolonged fermentation can cause plastic particles to degrade, which is very harmful when consumed. Additionally, fish sauce fermented in plastic containers can have an unpleasant smell and taste worse.
- Before putting the fish into the glass jar to make the fish sauce, rinse the jar with boiling water, then use a paper towel to wipe it clean for sterilization before making the fish sauce to ensure safety and prolong the fish sauce’s shelf life.
How to store snakehead fish sauce
- You should store the fish sauce in a dry place or in the refrigerator refrigerator. When stored properly, the fish sauce can maintain its deliciousness for 6 – 12 months.
- If you want to store the fish sauce for a long time, seal the glass jar tightly. When enjoying, scoop the fish sauce into a bowl, and then tightly close the jar again. Note that once the fish sauce has been scooped out, do not return it to the jar as it will cause the remaining fish sauce in the jar to sour and spoil quickly.
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Hope this article provides you with useful information about how to make snakehead fish sauce in a rustic, delicious way at home. TasteVN wishes you success in your cooking and don’t forget to leave your comments in the review section below!
*Refer to the recipe and images from the YouTube channel HỒNG THANH FOOD
