Preparation
15 minutes
Cooking
1 hour
Difficulty
Easy
Red tilapia is one of the fish species with firm, sweet flesh that is very popular in many dishes. Today, let’s join TasteVN cooking and try our hand at making the incredibly attractive and unique dried red tilapia for the family to enjoy!
Ingredients for Dried Red Tilapia For 4 people
Red tilapia 2 kg Sugar 6 tablespoons MSG 4 tablespoons Salt 4 tablespoons Ground pepper 1 tablespoon Chili 6 pieces Garlic 4 bulbs Lemon juice a little
How to choose fresh and delicious red tilapia
- To make the dish delicious, you need to choose fresh red tilapia, with clear eyes, a slippery and shiny feel when held, pink gills, firm scales, and still flexible.
- If the slimy layer on the fish turns sticky, the eyes are sunken and cloudy, the scales easily come off, the gills are white or dark, the flesh is soft and not elastic, floating on the water surface. That is a characteristic of spoiled fish, and should not be purchased.
How to prepare Dried Red Tilapia
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Prepping the red tilapia
After purchasing the red tilapia, you need to scale it, gut it, and remove the internal organs. Then use sliced lemon to gently rub over the surface of the fish to clean off the slime.
After prepping, use a sharp knife to make deep cuts on both sides of the fish’s gills, and then continue to cut a deep line along the fish’s back before using your hands to separate the fish fillet in half.
After separating the fish fillet, you can cut off the small bones on the back and the belly fat of the fish.
Once the fish fillet is ready, use a paper towel to dry it thoroughly, and then use a knife to make several vertical cuts on the piece of fish.
Tip:
- To save time, you can also choose to buy pre-filleted red tilapia.
- Note that when using a knife to score the fish, make cuts about the thickness of a finger but do not cut the flesh into separate pieces.
How to clean fish to eliminate slime and odor
- Using salt or rice water: After cleaning, you can rub the fish with salt or soak it in rice water for about 15 minutes to eliminate the fishy smell.
- Using lemon and vinegar: You can dilute vinegar with cold water or lemon with cold water, and soak for about 5 minutes to quickly remove the fishy smell. This method is very effective for smooth-skinned fish.
- Using white wine: Use diluted white wine to marinate the fish for about 2 minutes and then dry it off; this will help reduce the fishy smell.
- Using spices: Use spices such as pepper, onion, chili, ginger, celery,… to reduce the fishy smell. If you don’t mind the smell of Vietnamese coriander, you can rub it on the fish to remove the fishy smell!
See details: How to clean fish effectively
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Marinate the fish with dry spices
Put 6 tablespoons of sugar, 4 tablespoons of monosodium glutamate, 4 tablespoons of salt, and 1 tablespoon of ground pepper into a bowl, then mix well and marinate the fish for about 30 minutes to let the spices absorb evenly.
After about 30 minutes, drain all the liquid released by the fish and spices into a blender, add 6 horn chilies and 4 peeled garlic cloves, then blend until smooth.
Add the blended spice mixture to the fish bowl, mix well, and marinate for another 2 hours for the fish to take on a nice color and absorb the spices.
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Drying
Arrange the fish on a tray, board, or rack and dry them in a sunny spot for about 4 – 5 days until the fish is evenly dried on both sides.
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Finished Product
With just a few simple steps, you will have a delicious dried red tilapia that is fragrant with garlic and chili. With this dish, you can quickly fry it and eat it with hot rice and a bowl of taro soup or mix it into mango salad,… it will always be fantastic!
How to preserve dried red tilapia
- When drying, you should place the dried fish in high places, avoiding animals from landing on it to keep it hygienic, helping it last longer without spoilage.
- You can dry the fish in the sun for a day and eat it right away for fresher meat; however, it won’t last long and is prone to moisture and mold. Therefore, you can dry it for 4 to 5 sunny days (depending on the size of the fish) and then store it in the refrigerator refrigerator for preservation.
- If you want to make a large quantity and store it, just dry it thoroughly, divide it into small portions enough for eating, wrap the dried fish in newspaper, then seal it tightly in a plastic bag, and store it in the refrigerator; this way, it can last up to 1 month.
Above is a detailed guide on how to make dried red tilapia that preserves well for your family, very simple, right? TasteVN wishes you success!
