Preparation
45 minutes
Processing
10 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Sardine salad is a mixed salad that is delicious, attractive, retaining the natural flavor of sardines, combined with a very unique dipping sauce that is addictive. Today, let’s get into the kitchen with TasteVN to make this attractive dish right now!
Ingredients for Sardine Salad For 4 servings
Sardines 1 kg Lemongrass 7 stalks Betel leaves 5 leaves Kaffir lime leaves 5 leaves Roasted rice powder 50 gr (about 1/3 bowl of rice) Ginger 250 gr Duck eggs 2 eggs Rice 100 gr Chili 3 fruits Chopped shallots 3 tablespoons Shrimp paste 2 tablespoons Cooking oil 3 tablespoons Common seasoning a little (MSG/ sugar/ salt) Accompanying vegetables a little (fig leaves/ mugwort/ water spinach/…)
How to choose fresh and delicious sardines
- Choose sardines with bright red gills that are tightly closed, and not too scratched.
- Fresh sardines have shiny scales that cling tightly to the body, and a body that is resilient without dents, which indicates good quality.
- Avoid buying sardines that have lost their elasticity, are heavily scratched, have bulging eyes, unusual smells, or have mucus leaking out.
How to prepare Sardine Salad
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Prepare the sardines
Buy sardines, wash them clean, remove the scales, and cut off the head and gills. Cut open the belly and remove the eggs, wash them clean, and set aside.
Then, wash the sardines thoroughly under running water, remove all the membranes from inside the belly, and ensure there are no clots of blood or internal organs left. Let the sardines drain.
After washing the sardines, mix the fish bodies with rice and let it sit for about 15 minutes.
Tip: Mixing the fish bodies with rice will help the sardines become drier and less fishy.
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Chop the belly and fish eggs
Chop the fish belly and fish eggs finely with 5 betel leaves until very smooth, then place it in a bowl and set aside.
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Chop and Drain the Fish
Remove the fish from the rice, clean off any remaining rice, and cut the fish into very thin slices. You can leave the bones intact while cutting, as this will make the salad crunchier.
After cutting the fish, take the minced galangal and squeeze out the juice to add in, then mix well and drain the fish thoroughly. Keep the leftover galangal residue; do not throw it away.
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Mix the Fish Seasoning
Remove the tough outer layers and green parts of the lemongrass, wash clean, and slice thinly. Wash the kaffir lime leaves and slice them into thin strips.
Add 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate to the bowl with the fish and mix well. Then add the seasoning, stirring evenly to coat the sardines.
Next, add the sliced lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, mixing well. Add a moderate amount of leftover galangal, mixing gently without applying too much pressure to avoid breaking the fish.
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Make the dipping sauce
Place a pot on the stove and add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil, heat it up. Add 3 tablespoons of minced onion and sauté until fragrant.
When a fragrant aroma wafts out, add the minced fish belly and stir well, cooking until it boils. At this point, add 1/3 bowl of fermented rice (equivalent to 3.5 ladles of fermented rice), stir well, then turn off the heat.
Add 1 bowl of water, 3 sliced chilies, and 2 tablespoons of shrimp paste, stir well and bring to a boil again.
After about 3 – 5 minutes, the dipping sauce boils and you can smell the shrimp paste aroma, season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate.
Crack 2 duck eggs into the mixture and stir well, the duck eggs will make the dipping sauce richer and tastier. Taste it again to see if it’s to your liking, then turn off the heat.
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Final Product
The mackerel salad is incredibly delicious and ready. The salad is not fishy at all and preserves the natural flavor of the fish, with a crunchy sweetness, and the rice flour keeps the dish dry without any watery mess.
When eating, you can wrap it in white rice paper or enjoy it with accompanying vegetables like fig leaves, water spinach, perilla, and other types of vegetables according to your preference. The dish is served with a sour and spicy dipping sauce, creating an extremely appealing meal.
So you now know how to make sardine salad that is incredibly delicious and makes everyone captivated! Give it a try so the whole family can enjoy it!
