Preparation
40 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Striped bass is a delicious and nutritious food that can be prepared into many different attractive dishes. Today, TasteVN would like to share with you a grilled dish with striped bass that is incredibly flavorful and delicious, named grilled striped bass with chili salt. Let’s get cooking right away!
Ingredients for Grilled Striped Bass with Chili Salt Serves 4
Striped bass 2 fish Fish sauce 1 teaspoon Chili sauce 2 teaspoons Annatto oil 1 tablespoon Chili powder 2 teaspoons Chopped chili 1 teaspoon Common seasoning a little (salt/ sugar/ monosodium glutamate)
How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Striped Bass
- Fish Eyes: Choose fish with bulging, clear eyes; if you gently press with your hand, it should have good elasticity. However, if the eyes are sunken, the cornea is wrinkled, or the eyes are cloudy, do not choose them.
- Fish Gills: Fresh fish gills will be bright red and not slimy.
- Fish Scales: Good fish will have shiny scales, tightly adhered to the body extending to the tail, and no foul smell. Conversely, if you see the scales are not shiny and are peeling, absolutely do not buy them.
- Fish Mouth: The mouth of fresh fish is always tightly closed, so if you see the mouth slightly open, it indicates the fish is no longer fresh.
Tools needed
Charcoal stove, brush, grill rack, knife, cutting board,…
How to prepare grilled snakehead fish with chili salt
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Preparing the snakehead fish
After buying the snakehead fish, remove the head, gut it, scrape off the scales, then soak it in diluted salt water for about 15 minutes, and rinse it clean with water, then let it drain.
How to clean snakehead fish effectively, without a fishy smell
- First, clean the guts, gills, fins, and tail of the fish.
- Boil a little water until it’s slightly hot, then pour it over the fish body and use a knife to scrape the scales off the back and tail; this method helps to remove slime and the fishy smell effectively.
- After cleaning, you can soak the fish in diluted salt water or rice washing water for about 15 minutes, or use salt to rub the fish, then rinse it with clean water.
- You can also dilute lemon juice, soak the fish in it for a few minutes, and then clean the fish as usual. This method is very helpful as it quickly removes the slime. Note that you shouldn’t soak it for too long as it will cook the skin of the fish.
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Make the sauce
In a bowl, add 1 teaspoon of minced chili, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 2 teaspoons of chili sauce, 1 tablespoon of annatto oil, and 2 teaspoons of chili powder.
Then use a spoon to stir well to combine the ingredients.
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Grill the fish
Place the fish on the grill and set it over the charcoal fire, using a brush to apply an adequate amount of sauce on the fish, then proceed to grill the fish for about 10 – 15 minutes, flip the fish over, apply the remaining sauce on the fish, and continue grilling for another 10 minutes until the fish is golden and fragrant, which means it’s done.
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Final Product
So you have completed the delicious grilled snakehead fish with chili salt! Pick up a piece of fish, and you will taste the sweet, fresh fish with a hint of spiciness from the chili. When eating, you can drizzle a little scallion oil over the fish to make the dish richer. Eating it with fresh vegetables and dipping it in sweet and sour fish sauce will be incredibly delicious!
Tips for Successful Execution
- When grilling fish, make sure to grill one side completely dry before flipping the fish to avoid cracking the fish meat.
- You can use an oven, charcoal stove, an electric grill, or an air fryer to grill the fish uniformly.
Note on Grilling Temperatures for Different Types of Stoves
- Oven: Grill at 200 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes
- Air Fryer: Grill at 200 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes, then flip the fish and grill for an additional 10 – 15 minutes until the fish is cooked.
- Charcoal Stove: Grill for about 20 minutes, turning frequently to prevent the fish from burning.
Types of vegetables served with grilled mackerel
- The types of vegetables served with grilled mackerel with chili salt include: cucumber, green mango, various fresh herbs (Thai basil, basil, pennywort, Vietnamese coriander, fish mint, scallions, bean sprouts, chives,…), sliced pineapple, sour banana, green starfruit.
- Grilled mackerel can be eaten with rice or vermicelli, served with sweet and sour garlic chili fish sauce or ginger garlic chili fish sauce.
See details: How to make sweet and sour garlic chili fish sauce
What is mackerel?
- Mackerel (scientific name: Trachurus) is a type of fish belonging to the mackerel family. This type of fish is highly favored in Asian countries, especially Japan. In Vietnam, mackerel is considered a specialty of Phu Quoc, Hau Giang, and Kien Giang.
- Generally, mackerel has an appearance and size similar to skipjack tuna and wolf herring. They have a slightly flattened body, shaped like a betel leaf, with shiny scales and a brown-white color.
- Thanks to its delicious flavor, firm and sweet meat, mackerel is very popular and can be prepared into many different attractive dishes such as grilled dishes, fried dishes, soups,…
So you have pocketed the recipe for grilled snakehead fish with chili salt that is delicious and attractive. Hurry into the kitchen to showcase your skills right away. Wish you success!
*Refer to the recipe and images from the YouTube channel Tài Cà Mau
