Preparation

45 minutes
Difficulty

Easy

Grilled snakehead fish with snow salt is a grilled dish of the Southwest region, featuring firm and tender fish meat along with a salty skin. Get into the kitchen with TasteVN and make it right away!

Quick view hide

1 Preparing the snakehead fish

2 Marinate snakehead fish

3 Grilling Fish

4 Prepare the dipping sauce

5 Final product

Ingredients for Grilled Snakehead Fish with Snow Salt For 4 people

Snakehead fish 1 kg Eggs 5 pieces (take the egg whites) Green onions 5 stalks (the root part) Ginger 5 slices Mắc khén seeds 1 tablespoon (finely chopped) Dổi seeds 1 tablespoon (finely chopped) Minced garlic 2 teaspoons Minced chili 1 teaspoon Fish sauce 3 tablespoons Coarse salt a little Common spices a little (salt/pepper/sugar/msg)

How to choose fresh ingredients

How to choose good snakehead fish

Good snakehead fish are those that are still alive, with a moderate size, not too big or too small. The body of the fish is elongated, not too round, and feels firm to the touch.
If the fish is no longer alive or has been simply processed, you can observe the fish’s anus to determine if it is still fresh. Fresh fish will have a small anus. If the anus of the snakehead fish is swollen, it indicates that the fish is about to go bad and may sometimes have been treated with chemicals.

See details: How to choose fresh snakehead fish

What are Mac Khen seeds and Doi seeds, and where to buy them?

Mac Khen seeds are also known as fragrant wood seeds, fragrant soursop, fragrant frog, and yellow tamarind. Mac Khen seeds have a spicy and aromatic taste and are commonly used in the Northwest region. This is a familiar spice used in meals and delicious dishes of ethnic minorities.
Doi seeds are a characteristic spice of the mountainous Northwest, this spice is very special and is often used for seasoning and adding flavor in various dishes.
Mac Khen seeds and Doi seeds are usually sold in supermarkets, food stores, or e-commerce websites like bachhoaxanh.com.

Ingredients for grilled snakehead fish with snow salt

How to cook grilled snakehead fish with snow salt

1
Preparing the snakehead fish

Soak the purchased snakehead fish in warm water, scrape off the scales and slime, then use coarse salt to rub on the fish body and rinse it clean with water. After that, use a knife to make a small slit in the fish’s belly to marinate with spices.
How to clean fish to remove slime and fishy smell
- When buying fish, scale it, gut it, and remove the internal organs, use lemon to gently rub on the surface of the fish to remove the slime, and rinse it clean immediately with water. Do not rub the lemon too long as it will cook the fish skin.
- If you don’t have lemon, you can rub it with salt or wash the fish with cold water mixed with a little alcohol or vinegar.
- Be sure to clean the blood along the fish’s backbone to reduce the fishy smell.
See details: How to remove fishy smell from fish
2

Marinate snakehead fish

Stuff the fish’s belly with the ingredients including: 5 stalks of green onions, 5 slices of ginger, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped mac khén seeds, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped dổi seeds.
3
Grilling Fish

Mix 2kg of salt with egg whites thoroughly, then spread the mixture evenly on aluminum foil, place the marinated fish in the center and wrap it up so that the salt covers the fish evenly, then wrap it with another layer of aluminum foil.

Place the fish on the grill and proceed to grill each side of the fish for 20 minutes to ensure it cooks evenly.
Tip: You can use a oven, microwave, charcoal grill, electric grill, air fryer to grill the fish as well
- Oven: Grill at a temperature of about 220 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes. Before grilling, preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes to stabilize the temperature.
- Air fryer: Grill at 200 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes, then take it out, flip the fish, and grill for another 10 – 15 minutes until the fish is cooked.
- Charcoal grill: Grill for about 20 minutes, frequently turning the fish to prevent it from burning.
4

Prepare the dipping sauce

Mix 3 tablespoons of fish sauce with 2 teaspoons of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of minced chili, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of pepper.
5

Final product

The grilled snakehead fish when completed will be a delicious dish, and when you bite into it, you will feel the chewy and tender texture of the fish meat, the salty taste of the snow salt layer, and the rich dipping sauce.

This dish can be served with rice vermicelli and various herbs like Vietnamese coriander, mint, aromatic herbs, or cucumbers, all of which are very suitable.