Simple and Delicious Pickled Fish Stew Recipe: Unique and Appetizing

How to prepare Sour Pickled Snakehead Fish

• 1

  Prepare and marinate the fish head

  First, you blanch the fish head in boiling water for about 2 – 3 minutes to reduce the fishy smell, then remove it and rinse with cold water thoroughly.

  Next, chop the fish head into small pieces suitable for eating.

  Tip: To eliminate the fishy smell, you can also soak the fish head in salted water with some slices of ginger for 10 minutes.

  Peel the shallots, wash them clean. Peel and wash the turmeric. Put 3 bulbs of shallots and 2 pieces of turmeric into a mortar and pound them finely.

  Then, add this mixture into a bowl containing the fish to marinate, adding 1 teaspoon of seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. Mix well to let the fish absorb the spices and marinate for 30 minutes.

  

  

  

  
• 2

  Prepare the remaining ingredients

  Wash the tomatoes thoroughly, remove the stem and cut into wedges. Peel the carrots, wash them clean, and shred them.

  Peel the pineapple, remove the eyes. Then cut it into bite-sized pieces and remove the core.

  For convenience, you can buy pre-peeled pineapples, and when you get home, just rinse them and slice. If you buy a whole fruit, you can refer to the way to peel the pineapple below!

  Quick and proper pineapple peeling tips:

  • First, cut off both ends of the pineapple, then stand it upright to peel off the skin.
  • Next, identify the diagonal eyes of the pineapple, place the blade of the knife at an angle to cut away the straight lines connecting the eyes.
  • Finally, you will have a peeled pineapple that looks like a spiral.

  See details: 5 simple ways to peel pineapple that don’t take much time

  Remove the stems from the chili peppers, wash them clean, and then slice them thinly. Next, peel 2 shallots, wash them clean, and pound them finely.

  The herbs like Vietnamese coriander, dill, and green onions should have the wilted leaves and roots trimmed, washed clean, and then chopped finely.

  

  

  

  
• 3

  Lightly fry the fish

  Place a pan on the stove, add 1.5 tablespoons of cooking oil. Wait for the oil to heat up, then carefully add each piece of fish and fry evenly on all sides. Regularly check and turn the fish to ensure it cooks evenly and doesn’t burn!

  After frying the fish for about 5 minutes, add the minced onion and stir briefly. Fry the fish for another 4 minutes until it’s cooked, then carefully remove them to a plate.

  

  
• 4

  Stir-fry sour pickled cabbage, tomatoes, and pineapple

  Use the same pan and the oil you used to fry the fish, add the pickled cabbage and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

  After 2 minutes, add all the pineapple and tomatoes, continue to mix well for 1 minute, then add 2 teaspoons of seasoning, and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Cook for another 5 minutes before turning off the heat.

  

  
• 5

  Stewed Fish

  Place a pot on the stove, add 1/2 of the sour pickled vegetables, tomatoes, and pineapples into the pot, then arrange the catfish on top and add the remaining 1/2 of the sour pickled vegetables.

  Next, pour all the sour pickled vegetable juice and about 300ml of hot water in so that the water covers the fish, and stew the fish for about 30 minutes over low heat.

  After 30 minutes, the fish pot is boiling, add 2 teaspoons of sugar and sliced chilies. Cook for another 5 minutes, adjust the seasoning to your family’s taste, then add the finely shredded carrots, sprinkle some herbs on top, and turn off the heat.

  

  
• 6

  Final Product

  The stewed catfish with pickled vegetables after completion has an incredibly appealing aroma, the fish is extremely tender, slightly fatty but not greasy thanks to the light sourness from the pickled vegetables, pineapple, and tomatoes.

  With this dish, you can enjoy it hot on a spirit stove during cold days or let it cool down. Moreover, if combined with hot rice or fresh noodles, it will be incredibly delicious!