Grilled mackerel with garlic and chili will be a great suggestion for your meal today. But what’s even more special is that there will be 2 ways to make this braised dish for you to have more options. Let’s cook together with TasteVN right away!
1. Grilled mackerel with garlic and chili
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Grilled Mackerel with Garlic and Chili Serves 4 people
Mackerel 500 gr (about 3 fish) Chili 1 piece Garlic 10 cloves Scallions 3 stalks Cooking oil 200 ml Annatto powder 1 teaspoon Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Common seasoning a little (seasoning/ sugar/ ground pepper/ salt)
Ingredient image
How to Cook Mackerel with Garlic and Chili
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Prepare the mackerel
After purchasing the mackerel, clean the scales, remove all internal organs and the head, cut into pieces about 1 finger long, and then rinse thoroughly.
Effective ways to eliminate the fishy smell of mackerel:
- To clean and remove the fishy smell, soak the fish in rice water for about 15 – 20 minutes, then take it out, rinse with clean water, and proceed to cook.
- You can also use a mixture of salt and alcohol to soak the fish for about 10 minutes and then rinse with water.
- Or use ginger to clean the fishy smell; soak the fish in water with an additional crushed piece of ginger for about 5 minutes, then take it out to drain before cooking.
See details: Effective ways to eliminate the fishy smell of mackerel
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Prepare other ingredients
Clean the green onions by removing the damaged leaves, cutting off the roots, rinse them thoroughly, and then finely chop the leaves, keeping the green tops to slice separately.
Remove the seeds from the chili and cut into thin strips. Peel the garlic and then mince it.
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Fry the fish
Add about 200ml of cooking oil into the pan, heat the oil until it boils and add the prepared mackerel to fry.
The fish will be fried over medium heat until both sides are golden brown, then remove and drain the oil in preparation for braising.
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Prepare the sauce
The sauce for braising the fish will include 1/2 cup of cold water (rice bowl), 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 tablespoon of salt, stir well to dissolve the seasonings together. Finally, add 1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic.
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Fish Stew
Add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil (use the oil from frying fish) to the pan, heat the oil and add 1 teaspoon of annatto powder, stirring until the powder dissolves.
Once the annatto powder has dissolved in the oil to form annatto oil, add 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and chopped green onions to sauté until fragrant and golden.
Next, add all of the prepared sauce, bring to a boil for about 2 minutes, then season with 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves, and add the fried mackerel to stew.
To ensure the fish is well absorbed and tastes better, you should stew the fish over medium heat, turning it frequently. When you see the sauce has thickened, add 1 tablespoon of ground pepper, sliced chili, and chopped green onions, stir well, and turn off the heat.
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Final Product
Thus, the delicious and attractive mackerel stewed with garlic and chili is complete, making it extremely appetizing. The mackerel is firm and flavorful, combined with the rich salty, sweet, and spicy sauce, served with hot rice is simply delightful.
2. Mackerel braised with garlic and chili (recipe shared by a user)
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Preparation
10 minutes
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Cooking
15 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Mackerel braised with garlic and chili (recipe shared by a user) Serves 2
Mackerel 1 kg Garlic 5 cloves Chili 3 pieces Fish sauce color A little Cooking oil 3 tablespoons Common seasoning A little (Monosodium glutamate/ sugar/ salt)
Ingredient image
How to cook Mackerel braised with garlic and chili (recipe shared by a user)
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Prepare the mackerel
When buying mackerel, to save time on preparation, you should ask the seller to clean and remove the innards for you.
After buying, to eliminate the fishy smell, you should wash it with a little diluted salt water or you can use white wine as a substitute.
Then, rinse it thoroughly with water 3-4 times and let it drain. To let the fish head soak in flavor more, you should place the head inside the belly of the fish!
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Prepare other ingredients
To make peeling garlic easier, place 5 cloves of garlic in a mortar and crush them, then remove the garlic skins.
To make the color of this braised dish more appealing, you should use chili peppers, remove the stems, wash them with water, break them into pieces, and then crush them together with the garlic in the mortar.
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Fish Stew
Put a pot on the stove, turn on medium heat, and add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil to the pot. Wait for the oil to heat up, then add the mixture of minced garlic and chili, stirring until you can smell the aroma of the garlic and chili, then add 200ml of water to the pot.
Next, add the fish and season with the spice mix including: 2 teaspoons of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and a little fish stew color.
Then, stew the fish on low heat for about 10 – 15 minutes until the fish is fully cooked, then taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking and turn off the heat.
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Finished Product
Mackerel stewed with garlic and chili, an incredibly delicious dish with a vibrant red color. The fatty fish combined with the stew’s flavor, highlighted by the spiciness of the garlic and chili, is very rich and flavorful. This dish paired with hot rice is simply unbeatable.
How to choose fresh and delicious mackerel
- Choose mackerel with clear eyes, a closed mouth, scales tightly attached to the body, shiny, and no unpleasant smell.
- It is advisable to buy fish if you can still feel the flesh’s elasticity when pressing on the body, not mushy.
- Do not choose mackerel if you observe that the eyes are cloudy and the gills have turned dark red.
See more: How to choose and preserve fresh fish
How to choose fresh garlic
- Choose garlic with intact skin, slightly white in color, with plump cloves that are not dry.
- It is advisable to choose bulbs of moderate size; when held, they feel solid, as larger bulbs may not be fragrant.
- Avoid choosing damaged garlic bulbs, with cloves that are gray or yellowish and showing signs of dryness.
How to choose fresh and delicious chili peppers
- Choose chili peppers that have a bright red color, uniform color, smooth surface, and a natural fragrant smell.
- It is advisable to select those with intact green stems, tightly attached to the fruit, as these are freshly harvested, which will make them more flavorful and spicier when cooked.
- Avoid buying chili peppers that are bruised, have an unusual foul smell, or show signs of wilting.
See more:
Above are instructions for 2 ways to make mackerel braised with garlic and chili that is rich and appealing, easy to make at home. Hopefully, with the recipe shared above by TasteVN, you will be able to easily prepare this braised dish. Wish you success!
