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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour 50 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
The grilled hybrid catfish is fragrant and rich, served with fresh greens and sweet and sour fish sauce, truly tempting, isn’t it? Let’s join TasteVN into the kitchen to make this grilled dish for the family!
Ingredients for Grilled Hybrid Catfish Serves 4 people
Hybrid catfish 1 fish Ginger 2 bulbs Lemongrass 6 sticks Chili 4 pieces Ginger 1 bulb Shallots 100 gr Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Fermented shrimp paste 2 teaspoons Seasoning powder 1 teaspoon Satay sauce 2 tablespoons Eating vinegar 1/2 cup (rice bowl type) Common spices a little (MSG/ coarse salt/ sugar) Coarse salt 6 tablespoons
What is hybrid catfish? How is it different from common catfish?
- Hybrid catfish is a crossbreed between male channel catfish and female yellow catfish. When young, hybrid catfish have a color similar to yellow catfish, with some light spots on their skin, but as they grow, they develop a mottled color resembling channel catfish.
- Hybrid catfish were successfully bred for the first time in Vietnam in 1990 and are now quite popular in our country; they usually yield more meat than common catfish but have lower vitality.
How to choose fresh and delicious hybrid catfish
- You should choose fish that are still alive, moving actively, with no strange white spots on the skin, no wounds, and bright red gills.
- It is advisable to select larger fish as they are older catfish, which are usually much tastier. The fish should have a round, plump body, with a balanced head and body, and when pressed with your hand, the flesh should be firm and elastic.
- Avoid buying fish with soft, mushy flesh, dark red gills, and a foul smell, as these are fish that have spoiled, with crumbly flesh and no longer have a sweet taste.
Tools needed
How to prepare Grilled Catfish
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Preliminary preparation of catfish
To clean the sliminess of the catfish, mix half a bowl of vinegar and 3 – 4 tablespoons of coarse salt, then use the mixture to rub over the entire body of the fish, and rinse thoroughly with water.
Next, rub again with coarse salt, rinse with water to completely remove the sliminess.
Use a knife to cut off the gills, remove the two dark blood spots located next to the gills and on both sides of the fish’s spine, completely remove the internal organs and make 3 – 4 cuts on the fish’s body so that when marinating, the fish absorbs the seasoning better.
Rinse the fish a few times with water to remove any remaining blood and let it drain.
How to clean catfish from sliminess- After using the mixture of salt and vinegar to rub the fish’s body, heat a pot of warm water and pour the warm water over the fish. After 5 minutes, the sliminess will have coagulated, then use a knife to scrape it off, being careful not to use water that is too hot as it will peel the fish’s skin.
- Apply betel lime on the fish’s skin, then use banana leaves to rub vigorously to remove the sliminess and fishy smell.
- Sprinkle cooking ash on the fish’s skin to absorb all the sliminess, then use your hands to scrape from the head to the tail of the fish to remove the sliminess.
See details: How to clean catfish from sliminess
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Marinating Catfish
Buy ginger, peel off the outer skin, wash it clean, and then chop or grind it finely. For shallots and ginger, peel off the outer skin, wash them clean, chop them finely, and then crush them.
Next, wash the chili peppers clean and cut them in half. Then wash the lemongrass and cut off a portion of the root about 2 finger lengths long.
Add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil to the pan, and when the oil is slightly hot, add all the ingredients to stir-fry, adding 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, and 2 teaspoons of shrimp paste to the pan, stir well, and sauté for 10 minutes until the ingredients become fragrant and absorb the seasonings.
Next, add 2 tablespoons of satay to the pan, continue to stir-fry for 3 – 5 minutes, season to taste, and then turn off the heat.
Stuff the mixture inside the catfish belly, spreading the mixture evenly into the cuts on the fish’s body, and marinate for 30 – 45 minutes for the fish to absorb the seasonings.
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Grilling Catfish
You prepare a hot charcoal grill, place the fish on the grill, or if the fish is too large, you can split a bamboo or reed stick lengthwise to hold the fish securely from head to tail.
Use a string to tie tightly around the fish and the bamboo or reed to prevent the fish from falling off.
Place the fish on the burning charcoal, keeping it about 50 – 80cm above the coals; do not let the fish get too close to the coals as it may burn and not taste good.
While grilling, you must turn and rotate the fish frequently to ensure both sides are cooked evenly. The grilling time is about 40 – 60 minutes depending on the size of the fish.
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Final Product
The grilled hybrid catfish has a chewy skin, and the tender, fatty, and sweet flesh inside combined with the aroma of ginger, lemongrass, onion, and chili is incredibly enticing.
When enjoying, you can serve it with fresh vegetables, dip it in a little sweet and sour fish sauce, and you can sprinkle some roasted peanuts for a nutty flavor and a bit of scallion oil for a delicious meal.
So TasteVN has shared with you the how to make grilled catfish that is incredibly delicious and attractive. With just a few ingredients and simple steps, we have an excellent dish to treat ourselves and our family. Wishing you success!
