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Preparation
15 minutes
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Processing
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Mackerel is not only a delicious seafood but also easy to prepare and appears frequently in daily meal menus. Notable dishes made from mackerel include: fried dishes, braised dishes,… And mackerel fried with tamarind sauce is an incredibly fragrant and attractive dish. Let’s cook together with TasteVN!
Ingredients for Mackerel with Tamarind Sauce Serves 4 people
Mackerel 500 gr Tamarind paste 50 gr Minced garlic and onion 2 tablespoons Spring onions 1 stalk Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Cooking oil 3 tablespoons Common seasoning a little (seasoning powder/MSG/sugar/salt)
How to choose good ingredients
How to choose fresh mackerel
- You should choose fresh mackerel with clear, bright eyes, not cloudy, and gills that are pink-red, tightly attached to the body without slime.
- Choose fish that have the characteristic fishy smell of the sea, firm flesh, tightly connected, not loose, and have high elasticity.
- Do not choose fish with gray gills or swollen bellies as these indicate the fish is spoiled.
What is tamarind paste? Where to buy it?
- Tamarind paste (tamarind with sugar) is dried tamarind that has been mixed with sugar. This ingredient has a milder sour taste than regular tamarind and is used to make tamarind sauce dishes.
- You can easily find tamarind paste at markets, spice-selling supermarkets, or e-commerce platforms nationwide.
- When purchasing, make sure to carefully check the packaging condition, origin, and expiration date of the product.
How to make mackerel in tamarind sauce
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Prepare the ingredients
Wash the mackerel with diluted salt water, then rinse with clean water and let it drain.
Place the tamarind paste in a bowl. Clean the scallions, cut them into thin strips for decoration.
Effective ways to eliminate the fishy smell
- To reduce the fishy smell of mackerel, the simplest method is to rub coarse salt or lemon on the fish body, then rinse thoroughly with water.
- Alternatively, you can soak the fish in a bowl of water with a bit of coarse salt, 3-4 slices of fresh ginger, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
- After that, rinse the fish again and let it drain; you can use a towel to dry the fish.
See details: 7 tips to easily and effectively eliminate the fishy smell
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Mackerel in Tamarind Sauce
You place a pan on the stove and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, heating it over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add the cleaned fish and fry until golden on both sides for about 8 minutes, then remove the fish to a plate.
Next, use another pan, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and heat it over medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add minced onion and garlic to sauté until fragrant, then pour in the tamarind water, stirring in 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and 1/2 cup of water (rice bowl).
Bring the tamarind sauce to a boil for about 2 minutes, then add the fried fish and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Adjust the seasoning to taste and turn off the heat, then transfer the fish to a plate.
Tip: If you’re not using tamarind pulp, you can use tamarind extract or tamarind juice in equivalent amounts, adding sugar to taste to adjust the sourness of the dish.
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Final Product
So the delicious mackerel with tamarind sauce dish is complete. Pour the tamarind sauce on top and add a little chopped green onion for decoration, and it’s ready to enjoy.
The plate of fish is so enticing with the firm fish meat, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside while still retaining its sweetness, perfectly seasoned with the tamarind sauce. This dish pairs perfectly with hot rice!
See more:
So TasteVN has shared with you the recipe for the delicious sweet and sour mackerel with tamarind sauce, simple to make at home. Wishing you success!
*Image and recipe source shared from Facebook Phan Thị Phúc
