How to Prepare Salt-Roasted Catfish

• 1

  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.

  

  

  

  
• 2

  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.

  

  

  

  
• 3

  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.

  

  
• 4

  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.

  

  

  

  
• 5

  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.

  

  
• 6

  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.

  

  
• 7

  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.