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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Sea bass is a sea fish with firm, fragrant, and sweet meat, rich in nutrients. From sea bass, we can prepare many different dishes. In today’s article, let’s join TasteVN to “roll up our sleeves” into the kitchen and showcase our skills by making the delicious and easy-to-make soup called sour soup with sea bass to treat the whole family!
Ingredients for Sour Soup with Sea Bass For 4 people
Sea bass 700 gr Tomatoes 3 pieces Tamarind 6 pieces (about 100gr) Shallots 3 bulbs Hot peppers 2 pieces Vietnamese coriander A little Spring onions 2 sprigs Dill 2 sprigs Cooking oil 4 tablespoons Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Common spices A little (salt/ seasoning powder/ monosodium glutamate)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh striped bass
- Live striped bass will bring the best flavor to the dish. Therefore, you should choose those that are still swimming well, and observe that the eyes are clear enough to see the pupils.
- Additionally, when pressing on the flesh, it should feel firm, not mushy and have good elasticity like rubber.
- Fresh striped bass has a cherry color, while if it has a dark brown color or appears dull, it means the fish has spoiled and is no longer usable.
- Avoid buying fish with swollen bodies, weak swimming, pale color, and a strong fishy smell as they have been kept for too long.
How to choose fresh tomatoes
- Good tomatoes are those that are red, round, look plump and juicy, and have a thin, shiny skin.
- Also, you should observe the stem; if the tomato still has a green stem tightly attached, that is a sign that the tomato has just been harvested, which will have a fresher taste.
- Avoid buying overly ripe, bruised, unevenly colored tomatoes; when touched, they feel soft and lack elasticity, which usually indicates they are under-ripe or have wilted from being kept too long.
How to prepare Sour Soup with Barramundi
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Prepare the barramundi
After purchasing the barramundi, cut off the gills, scrape off the scales, and use a knife to gut it, removing the intestines and cleaning the blood vessels along the spine.
Rub the fish with salt for about 3 – 5 minutes, then rinse it several times with clean water and let it drain.
Tips to eliminate the fishy smell of barramundi
- Use lemon juice mixed with warm water to soak the barramundi for 5 – 7 minutes, the fishy smell will disappear immediately.
- Soak the barramundi in diluted salt water for 5 – 10 minutes or rub salt into the fish to not only eliminate the smell but also effectively remove the slime.
- Additionally, you can soak the fish for 15 – 20 minutes in rice water.
- Moreover, crush some ginger and soak it in water with the fish for 5 – 7 minutes to see instant results.
See details: Effective ways to reduce fishy smell
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Prepare other ingredients
Peel and finely chop the shallots. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into wedges.
Remove any yellow or wormy leaves (if any) from the green onions and dill, then rinse them clean and chop them finely.
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Stir-fry tomatoes
Place a pot on the stove, add 4 tablespoons of cooking oil and heat it, then add the shallots and sauté until fragrant.
When the shallots release their aroma, add all the tomatoes, stir well over the heat until the tomatoes are evenly cooked and have a nice color.
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Cook the soup
Add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, about 1.5 – 2 liters of filtered water, and all the tamarind into the pot, cover it, turn on medium heat, and bring the water in the pot to a boil.
Next, scoop the tamarind into a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of broth from the pot into the bowl, use a spoon to mash it, then strain to get the tamarind juice back into the pot.
Then, slowly add each piece of fish into the pot. Turn the heat to medium and cook until the water in the pot boils.
Tip: To prevent the dish from being fishy, make sure the broth is boiling before adding the fish to the pot.
When the water starts to boil, you reduce the heat and cook for another 5 minutes for the fish to be fully cooked.
Next, add 1.5 teaspoons of seasoning and 2 teaspoons of monosodium glutamate to the pot, then taste and adjust for flavor.
Finally, add green onions, dill, and Vietnamese coriander, stir well, and turn off the heat.
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Final Product
The sour fish soup after completion has an incredibly appealing color and flavor. The fish is tender, fragrant, and fatty, with no fishy smell; the broth is sweet and sour, rich, combined with the aroma of dill, Vietnamese coriander, and green onions that greatly stimulates the taste buds.
You can enjoy this dish with white rice, fresh noodles, and dip it with a little chili fish sauce to enhance the flavor!
See more:
So TasteVN has shared with you how to make sour soup with striped bass that is delicious, refreshing, and easy to make at home. Hope this recipe helps you add more delicious dishes to your diverse menu. Wishing you success!
