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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Salted Catfish Serves 3
Catfish 600 gr Salt frying powder 30 gr Crispy frying flour 7 tablespoons Five spice powder 10 gr Ginger 1 stalk Lemongrass 3 stalks Shallots 2 bulbs Garlic 3 cloves Fish sauce 2 teaspoons Cooking oil 200 ml Common spices a little (salt/ seasoning/ pepper) Cucumber 1 piece Fresh vegetables for serving 50 gr (lettuce/ Vietnamese coriander)
How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Catfish
- The freshest fish is one that is still alive, with an intact body and active movement.
- Choose fish that have smooth skin, dark color, are plump, as their meat will be more abundant and tastier.
- Good fish meat will have good elasticity, be firm, and when pressed, it does not deform or sink.
- Pay attention to the fish’s eyes; bright, clear, slightly bulging eyes, with bright red gills, and clear fat indicate that the fish is still fresh.
Where to Buy Salt Roasting Powder
You can find salt roasting powder at grocery stores, traditional markets, or supermarkets, or purchase it online through e-commerce sites. Additionally, you can also make salt roasting powder at home to ensure food safety and hygiene.
How to Prepare Salt-Roasted Catfish
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Prepare the Catfish
If the catfish is already processed, wash it thoroughly with salt water and let it drain. Then cut the fish in half, remove the bones, and cut the fish into long pieces, then into cubes.
If the fish is whole, cut off the gills, fins, and intestines, chop the fish into slices, and wash thoroughly. After that, remove the bones and cut the fish.
Tip: When you buy catfish, pour boiling water over it. The boiling water will make it much easier to scrape off the slime from the catfish skin. After that, wash the fish again with strongly salted water to eliminate the odor.
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Prepare other ingredients
Peel the garlic and shallots, wash them clean. Wash the lemongrass, then slice it thinly.
For the galangal, peel half of it, wash it clean, then slice it thinly and shred it, while the other half should be sliced thin and pounded together with the garlic, shallots, and one chili.
Pick out any wilted parts from the fresh herbs, wash them clean and let them drain. Wash the cucumber and slice it thinly.
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Marinate the fish
Add minced onion, garlic, chili, and galangal, 10g five-spice powder, 2 teaspoons of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and 2 teaspoons of fish sauce to the fish. Mix well and marinate for 15 minutes to allow the spices to penetrate the fish.
Tip: You can add egg yolk to make the fried fish crispier and more delicious.
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Fry galangal and lemongrass, fry the fish
Add 3 tablespoons of frying flour to the shredded galangal and lemongrass and mix well.
Place a pan on the stove and add 200ml of cooking oil, set the heat to high. When the oil is hot, add the galangal and lemongrass and fry until golden and crispy, then remove.
Add 4 tablespoons of frying flour to the fish and mix well.
Then add the fish to the hot oil and fry until the fish is golden and crispy, then remove to drain the oil.
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Salt Roasting
Add 25g of salt roasting powder to the fish and stir well while the fish is still hot so that the powder sticks to it. Then add half of the fried galangal and lemongrass and mix everything together. Stir for about 3 minutes for the salt roasting powder to evenly coat the fish.
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Completion
Arrange some fresh herbs on a plate, then place the snakehead fish on top, sprinkling about 5g of salt roasting powder over the fish. Finally, drizzle the remaining galangal and lemongrass on top to finish.
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Final Product
The dish has an appealing brown color from the fried fish, making it very attractive. When enjoying, you will experience the sweetness of the snakehead fish combined with the savory flavor of salt, along with the fragrant aroma of galangal and lemongrass. This dish is sure to not disappoint you.
See more
We hope that this simple and delicious way of making salted catfish can help you add flavor to your family’s daily meals. Wishing you success in your cooking!
*Refer to images and recipes from the YouTube channel Cooking DT.
