Preparation
15 minutes
Cooking
30 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Green tea braised mackerel is a dish with a unique combination, but the flavor is incredibly rich and delicious, promising to impress your family members. Let’s join TasteVN into the kitchen today and show off your culinary skills by making this delicious braised dish!
Ingredients for Green Tea Braised Mackerel Serves 2
Mackerel 200 gr (about 1 slice) Green tea 200 gr Green onion 5 stalks Shallots 5 bulbs Cooking oil 6 tablespoons Vinegar a little Fish sauce 5 tablespoons Common spices a little (sugar/salt/pepper/seasoning)
How to choose fresh mackerel
- Buy fish that have intact gills firmly attached to the body, bright red color.
- Choose mackerel that is firm and bouncy.
- If the fish feels too soft to the touch and lacks elasticity, do not buy it as it is not fresh and not tasty.
- Avoid choosing fish with discolored gills or a foul smell as they are old and spoiled.
Information about fresh green tea
- Fresh green tea leaves are harvested from the tea plant (Camellia sinensis), which has the scientific name Camellia sinensis, and they have not undergone withering or drying processes.
- Green tea originated from China (during the Tang Dynasty around 600 – 900 AD) and has become the oldest beverage of Eastern people.
- Green tea has been shown to be a source of antioxidants, as well as L-theanine amino acids abundant for the body, which positively affects reducing the risk of memory loss, fighting anxiety, improving brain function, being good for cardiovascular health, preventing strokes, and more…
How to choose good green tea for delicious fish stew
- For this dish, you should use young, fresh green tea leaves because they are more fragrant and less astringent than older leaves.
- You should select fish that is still fresh, firm, not yellowing or withered.
- You can buy fresh green tea leaves at markets, supermarkets, or on reputable e-commerce sites.
- If you cannot find fresh green tea leaves, you can also use dried green tea, but the aroma and flavor will not be the same.
How to prepare Green Tea Braised Mackerel
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Prepare the mackerel and ingredients
To remove dirt and the fishy smell, after purchasing, soak the mackerel in water mixed with a little salt and a little white vinegar for about 5 – 10 minutes, then take it out and rinse with water, and let it drain.
Effective methods to eliminate fishy smell
- Soak the fish in rice water for about 15 – 20 minutes and then rinse it clean with water. The fishy smell will be significantly reduced.
- Pound ginger and slice it, then add it to the soaking water with the fish for about 5 minutes.
- Squeeze lemon juice into warm water, then soak the fish for about 5 – 7 minutes, which is also an effective way to remove the fishy smell.
See details: Effective methods to eliminate fishy smell
Wash the green onion heads, then crush them. Peel the shallots and use a knife to slice them.
Fresh tea leaves should be sorted to remove yellow or wormy leaves (if any), then soak them in dilute salt water for about 5 – 10 minutes, and rinse again with water, and let them drain.
Put the tea leaves into a pot, then add a bowl of filtered water. Place the pot on the stove and boil over medium heat until the water boils.
When the water starts to boil, reduce the heat and steep the tea for 10 minutes to extract all the essence, then turn off the heat, pour the brewed tea into a bowl, and set aside.
In addition, take about 2 – 3 steeped tea leaves, cut them into strips, and set aside.
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Fry the fish
Put a frying pan on the stove, add 4 tablespoons of cooking oil and heat it, then drop the mackerel into the pan and fry over medium heat until the fish is golden brown on both sides, then take it out and let it drain.
Tip: Frying the fish before stewing helps the fish absorb the seasoning quickly, the fish meat becomes firm and does not break during the stewing process.
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Fish Stewing
Gradually add into the pot chopped green onions, sliced red onions, 2 teaspoons of ground pepper, 2 teaspoons of seasoning powder, 3 teaspoons of sugar, 5 tablespoons of fish sauce, and 2 tablespoons of cooking oil.
Mix the above ingredients well and place on the stove. Proceed to cook over medium heat until the sauce in the pot boils and thickens.
Add the fried mackerel and 1/3 of the tea extract into the pot. Keep the heat medium and cook until the liquid in the pot boils, then lower the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens.
Next, add another 1/3 of the tea extract and the finely chopped tea leaves into the pot, continue to stew for the second time on low heat until the sauce thickens and the mackerel absorbs the spices, and it’s done.
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Final Product
With just a few simple steps, you have a hot and fragrant dish of mackerel stewed with green tea, perfect for today’s family meal!
The mackerel is firm, fragrant, and not fishy at all, but instead is soaked in the sauce, combined with the unique aroma of green tea that is very enticing, making it irresistible for anyone.
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Hope the dish braised mackerel with green tea that TasteVN just shared can add flavor to your daily family meals. Wishing you success!
*Source for the recipe and images shared from Facebook: Huỳnh Ngân.
