Coming to the West, 'running out of dipping sauce' with crispy fried sun-dried snakehead fish

Eat once, remember forever

When it comes to snakehead fish, many people are familiar with the dish of fish cakes. The fish meat is scraped out, seasoned, pounded until really tough, then cooked in bitter melon soup, braised in bland sauce or tomato sauce, all of which are considered "top-notch" delicacies. But if you are a Hau Giang native, it is easy to make a mistake if you forget the dish of fried crispy sun-dried snakehead fish.

This dish is not yet popular but is considered a specialty, eat it once and you will remember it forever.

Crispy fried dried snakehead fish is one of the dishes that evokes many emotions for tourists every time they come to Hau Giang.

At first glance, dried snakehead fish is easy and quick to make. However, it will be difficult to make it delicious if you are not sophisticated and methodical in choosing ingredients as well as seasoning. The best way to dry snakehead fish is to choose fresh ones that have just been caught from the pond, weighing about 400 - 500 grams. This is when the fish are mature and diligently hunt for prey, so the meat is plentiful and firm. When cleaning the fish, scale, remove the intestines, cut off the gills, but leave the back (on the spine and tail) so that when fried, it will have a crispy sound and taste delicious.

The meat of the snakehead fish will be more perfect if you use the handle of a knife to gently beat both sides of the fish for 5-10 minutes to increase elasticity and toughness. This fish has many small bones in the meat, so remember to use a knife to score both sides evenly, with an even cut of about 0.5 cm. The correct way to prepare it is to marinate it with a mixture of garlic, lemongrass, chili, and spices to add more flavor and color. Let the fish absorb the spices for about 15 minutes, then dry the skin and meat until firm. If the sun is good, you only need to dry it for 1 day before bringing it inside.

To have a "proper" dry dish

When frying dry, remove all the chopped lemongrass from the fish while marinating to avoid burning. Heat the pan over low heat, wait for the oil to boil, then add the dried fish to fry. When both sides are golden brown, remove and drain. Once dry, add the chopped lemongrass to the pan and stir-fry until fragrant, scoop out and spread evenly over the fish.

The best dried snakehead fish is the fresh one that has just been caught, weighing about 400 - 500 grams.

A plate of crispy fried dried snakehead fish must be accompanied with a bunch of raw vegetables including fish mint, herbs, cucumber, lettuce... Of course, it cannot lack a bowl of sweet and sour tamarind fish sauce with yellow and red dots of garlic and chopped chili floating on the surface. When Tet comes, having a plate of crispy fried dried snakehead fish to treat your friends is wonderful.

The dried snakehead fish has tough meat, so it is not suitable to be torn or split, but should be cut into small pieces across the fish's body. The dried pieces are golden yellow, and the first bite will make you hear a crunchy sound in your mouth. The fish meat after being fried is still white and transparent, and you can feel the sweetness on the tip of your tongue as you chew. The characteristic of the fish meat harmonizes with the salty taste of salt, the spicy taste of chili, and the strong taste of lemongrass, it is said to be perfect. This dish goes well with rice because the fish meat is fatty, chewy, and crunchy without being boring.

The fish meat is tough so it is not suitable to tear or split, but should be cut into small pieces across the fish's body to enjoy.

The West has hundreds of different types, but the crispy fried dried snakehead fish has a distinctive flavor that is easy to recognize. This type of dried fish is also suitable as a gift, bringing many people a certain impression and curiosity about its origin.

Seeing this potential, Hau Giang people are increasingly promoting the image of dried snakehead fish, because they consider this a traditional rustic dish, imbued with the flavor of their homeland.

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