Delicious and Flavorful Braised Mackerel with Pepper, Easy to Make at Home

How to prepare Mackerel braised with pepper

• 1

  Prepare the fish

  Cut the fish into slices about the thickness of a finger, wash thoroughly, use paper towels to dry, and let it drain.

  How to clean and remove the fishy smell from mackerel

  • To remove the fishy smell from mackerel, you can soak the fish in rice water for about 15 minutes and then rinse it again with water.
  • An alternative method is to use salt mixed with water to soak the fish for about 5 – 10 minutes, then rinse it again with water.

  
• 2

  Make the sauce

  To prepare the sauce, add 200ml of water into a bowl, then add 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/5 teaspoon of salt, 1/5 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, and 1 tablespoon of chili sauce.

  Stir well to ensure that the seasonings are completely dissolved in the water, resulting in a slightly thick sauce mixture.

  

  

  
• 3

  Frying Fish

  Place a pan on the stove, add 100ml of cooking oil. Wait for the oil to heat up, then add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and stir well to dissolve the cornstarch.

  Next, gradually add the fish. Wait for one side of the fish to cook, then gently flip the fish to the other side to ensure it cooks evenly on both sides. Fry the fish for about 15 minutes on low heat until it turns golden brown and is cooked through, emitting a fragrant aroma.

  Turn off the heat and remove the fish to a plate.

  Tip:

  • To minimize oil splatter when frying fish, you should add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the hot cooking oil.
  • To ensure the fish cooks to a golden color from the outside in, you should fry the fish on low heat.

  

  

  

  
• 4

  Braised Fish

  Pour out the oil used for frying the fish, leaving about 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan to continue braising the fish.

  Turn on the stove, wait for the oil to heat up, then add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. Stir well until the garlic releases its aroma and gradually turns light golden, then add the sauce mixture. After cooking for about 2 minutes, when the sauce thickens, add 1/2 tablespoon of pepper and stir well to blend the pepper with the sauce.

  Then gradually add the fish and turn it over on both sides so that the fish absorbs the sauce evenly. After about 4 minutes, adjust the seasoning to suit your family’s taste and turn off the stove.

  

  

  

  
• 5

  Final Product

  Plate the fish. The dish can be served with white rice and cucumber.

  The mackerel retains its crispiness after braising because it was previously fried, combined with the spicy flavor of black pepper sauce, which certainly brings you an extremely attractive and delicious dish.