Grouper fish meat is delicious, has a moderate fat content, and is less fishy, so it is loved by many people for making many attractive dishes such as hot pot, braised dishes, soup,… Let’s cook with Tastetutorial.com to learn 3 ways to make sour grouper soup that is not fishy, refreshing, and simple for everyone to make!
1. Sour grouper soup with pineapple
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
50 minutes
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Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients for Sour grouper soup with pineapple Serves 2
Grouper 2 slices Tomato 2 pieces Pineapple 1/4 piece Shallot 1 bulb Bean sprouts 50 gr Mint 1 stalk Green onion a little Cilantro a little Minced garlic 1 bulb Chili 1 piece Okra 5 pieces Tamarind 50 gr Fish sauce 3 tablespoons Warm water 50 ml Common seasoning a little (salt/pepper/sugar/MSG/seasoning powder)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh tomatoes
- Fresh, ripe tomatoes usually have plump skin and a red color, feel heavy in hand, and have a light fragrance.
- You should choose firm tomatoes; avoid those that are soft as they spoil quickly.
- Choose tomatoes if the stem is still fresh and green, and when you gently pull the stem, it remains tightly attached to the fruit; if the fruit is ripe, then it is a tree-ripened tomato.
How to choose fresh pineapples (Khóm/Dứa)
- You need to choose fruits that feel heavy in hand, have a distinctive fragrance, and a naturally bright yellow color. Avoid choosing those with uneven coloring, dark brown spots, or yellowing towards red as they are overripe.
- Round, short pineapples will have more flesh compared to long, cylindrical ones.
- The larger and sparser the eyes of the pineapple, the tastier it is. Because after peeling off the eyes, you will have thick flesh, and large, sparse eyes indicate that the pineapple is mature and ripened naturally without being treated with chemicals.
Ingredient images
How to make sour fish soup with pineapple
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Prepare the ingredients
After buying the barramundi, you wash off any remaining blood under running water. Next, use coarse salt to rub on the fish flesh, then rinse with clean water and let it drain.
Then, wash the vegetables thoroughly with clean water at least 2 times. After that, use a knife to cut the pineapple into fan shapes, the tomatoes into wedges, and cut the mint into bite-sized pieces about the length of a finger.
Peel one shallot and one garlic clove, wash them with water, and then chop them finely. Remove the stem from the chili and chop it into small pieces, while the okra should be cut in half!
Finally, soak the tamarind in about 50ml of warm water to dissolve it, then strain out the solids and keep the tamarind juice.
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Marinate the fish
After preparing the barramundi, marinate it with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, a little pepper, and minced shallots, then use chopsticks to mix the mixture well. Marinate the fish for about 15 minutes to allow it to absorb the spices.
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Stir-fried tomatoes and fried garlic
You place a pot on the stove, turn on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, wait for the oil to heat, then add the minced garlic and fry until golden and fragrant, then remove the garlic to a bowl.
Next, add the grouper, tomatoes, and pineapple to stir-fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
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Cook sour soup with grouper
Next, pour 1 liter of boiling water into the pot, continue to cook for 10 minutes, then add the prepared mint, okra, and tamarind juice to cook together.
After that, season with 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, add chopped chili and a bit of ground pepper, then stir well to dissolve the ingredients completely.
Finally, taste again to adjust to the family’s preference, then add bean sprouts and chopped scallions, and turn off the heat.
Tip: Cook the soup with boiling water to eliminate the fishy smell.
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Final product
The sour soup with fish is delicious, with fatty and sweet fish meat combined with a sour and sweet taste that will surely delight your whole family when enjoyed.
The red color of tomatoes, the green of okra, and the yellow of pineapple combine to create a very attractive dish. You can serve it in a bowl with hot rice or noodles, dipping it in a bowl of spicy fish sauce to enhance the flavor!
2. Sour soup with fish and bamboo shoots
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Preparation
50 minutes
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Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients for Sour Fish Soup with Bamboo Shoots Serves 4
Barramundi head 1 piece Sour bamboo shoots 300 gr Tomatoes 300 gr Celery 200 gr Chili peppers 5 pieces Garlic 3 cloves Shallots 3 bulbs Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Seasoning a little (Salt/sugar/MSG/pepper)
How to Choose Fresh and Delicious Sour Bamboo Shoots
- You should choose sour bamboo shoots that have a characteristic fragrant smell, are not floating, and have bright colors.
- You should not choose sour bamboo shoots that have a foul smell, an unusual outer skin color such as overly white or brown-yellow, and a surface that has spots or is bruised.
Note: You can buy pickled sour bamboo shoots or buy fresh bamboo shoots to soak at home.
See more: How to make sour bamboo shoots just right, without floating.
How to Prepare Sour Fish Soup with Bamboo Shoots
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Prepare the Barramundi
Clean the remaining blood of the fish under running water, rub with salt and vinegar to eliminate the fishy smell, rinse with clean water and let it drain, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
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Marinate the fish meat
Marinate the barramundi with 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate for 15 – 20 minutes to let the fish absorb the seasoning.
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Prepare the other ingredients
Peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic. Trim the old parts of the celery, wash it clean, then cut it into pieces, and cut the tomatoes into wedges.
For the pickled bamboo shoots that you bought whole, rinse them with water. Boil a pot of water, then add the bamboo shoots and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes on low heat. After boiling, take the bamboo shoots out, rinse with water, and let them drain.
Next, use a knife to shred the bamboo shoots into small, long strips suitable for eating. If you are using pickled bamboo shoots that are already cut with garlic and chili, you can skip the bamboo preparation step.
Note: Boiling whole pickled bamboo shoots before cooking will help clean the bamboo and remove any toxins present in it.
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Stir-fried tomatoes and sour bamboo shoots
You place a pan on the stove over medium heat, wait for the pan to get hot, then add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and sauté half of the shallots and garlic until fragrant.
Continue to add the tomatoes to stir-fry, when the tomatoes start to change color, add the sour bamboo shoots and season with 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, stir-fry for about 3 – 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.
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Stir-fry the fish
You place a pot on the stove over medium heat, wait for the pot to get hot, then add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and sauté the remaining shallots and garlic until fragrant.
Continue to add the fish and stir-fry for about 3 – 5 minutes until it is firm.
Tip for you: Stir-frying the fish until firm will prevent the dish from smelling fishy, and the broth will be more fragrant.
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Cooking soup
Once the fish is cooked, add the tomatoes and sour bamboo shoots, pour in 2 liters of boiling water, add 5 whole chili peppers, season with 1/3 tablespoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and adjust to suit your family’s taste.
After cooking for an additional 2 minutes, add the celery, and turn off the heat when the water boils again.
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Finished product
Enjoy the delicious and simple sour fish soup with your family. The fish is tender and fatty, and the broth is rich. You can serve it with fresh noodles or rice, and it’s very tasty with spicy fish sauce.
3. Sour fish soup with wild flowers
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
10 minutes
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Difficulty level
Easy
Ingredients for Sour Fish Soup with Water Lily Serves 4
Grouper 200 gr (2 slices) Water lily 200 gr Betel leaves 100 gr Lemongrass 2 stalks Chili 1 piece Basil 1/2 stalk Culantro 2 stalks Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Fermented rice 200 gr Fish sauce 1 teaspoon Common seasonings a little (seasoning powder/ sugar/ salt)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose delicious betel leaves
- When buying betel leaves, you should choose those with dark green color, shiny surface, and no unusual black or yellow spots.
- Additionally, you should buy leaves that still have their stems intact or whole branches to ensure they remain fresh.
- Avoid buying leaves that are wilted or damaged.
How to choose delicious water lily flowers
- The best water lily flowers are those that have just been picked and are slightly open.
- When picking or buying, you should choose flowers that are intact, not bruised or eaten by insects.
- Do not choose flowers that have fully bloomed or are still green as they will be less tasty when eaten.
What is fermented rice?
- Fermented rice, also known as sour rice, is a very familiar ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine and is considered a traditional seasoning with a refreshing sour taste.
- It is used in many rustic dishes such as sour soups, stewed dishes, fermented rice buffalo meat, and snails cooked with green bananas and tofu,…
- The two main ingredients used to create fermented rice are plain rice and warm water, so it is usually very simple to make. You can check out the detailed guide on how to make fermented rice on Tastetutorial.com to increase your chances of success!
How to prepare Sour Soup with Barramundi and Water Lily Flowers
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Prepare the barramundi
To eliminate the fishy smell from the barramundi, after rinsing it briefly with water, you should rub salt around the fish and scrape off the skin using a knife, then rinse again 2 – 3 times with water.
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Prepare the remaining ingredients
Wash the lemongrass and cut it into small pieces about 2 – 2.5 finger lengths, then smash them. For the wild betel leaves, wash them and cut them into small strips.
Wash the water lily flowers and let them drain. Wash the chili peppers and chop them finely.
Pick the basil leaves, wash them, and chop them finely. Cut off the roots of the sawtooth coriander, wash them, and chop them finely.
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Quickly Stir-Fry Fish and Extract Fermented Rice Water
Add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil into the pot, then wait until the oil is hot. Add the lemongrass and stir-fry evenly over medium heat until fragrant, then add the grouper fish.
Stir-fry for about 2 minutes until the fish meat is firm, then place a strainer over the pot and gradually add 200g of fermented rice, pouring an additional 400ml of water into the strainer to clean off the sticky rice remnants.
Tip: To completely eliminate the fishy smell before cooking the soup, it’s best to stir-fry the fish first!
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Cooking soup
After extracting the sour rice water, you continue to cook for 2 minutes until the sour rice water boils, then add 1/2 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/4 teaspoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of fish sauce.
Cook over medium heat for another 4 minutes until the spices dissolve completely and the fish is tender, then taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking, and add the chopped betel leaves and cleaned water lily flowers.
Finally, cook for an additional 3 minutes until the vegetables are cooked, then add chopped basil and cilantro, and turn off the heat.
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Final product
The sour fish soup with water lily flowers after cooking will have an attractive aroma characteristic of sour rice. When eating, you will feel the strong fragrance of betel leaves combined with the tender and sweet taste of water lily flowers, and the soup will have an appealing cloudy white color with a sweet and sour taste.
The fish meat is sautéed before cooking, so it is not fishy but rather crispy and sweet. Dipping it with a bowl of spicy fish sauce makes it super delicious.
How to choose fresh and delicious cobia fish
- You should choose to buy wild cobia instead of farmed cobia, as the meat will be fresher and less fishy.
- The flesh is firm and has good elasticity.
- For whole cobia: the eyes are bright, clear, and the pupils are visible; the gills are still bright red; the fish’s anus is very firm when lightly pressed, with no fluids leaking out; the skin color is shiny.
- For sliced cobia: the meat is firm, not mushy; still has fresh blood; the patterns on the fish meat are clearly visible.
- No foul or strange odors should be present.
With the information just shared above, Tastetutorial.com hopes you have learned 3 ways to make sour cobia soup that are delicious and appealing for the whole family to enjoy on the weekend. Wishing you success with these 3 super easy recipes!
