How to Make Crispy and Delicious Fried Snakehead Fish with Garlic, Chili, and Fish Sauce

How to prepare Fried Snakehead Fish with Fish Sauce

• 1

  Preparing Snakehead Fish

  After buying snakehead fish, you should rub it with a little salt to remove the slime and make it cleaner, then rinse it several times with cold water, and leave it in a basket until it drains.

  How to clean snakehead fish to remove slime and odor

  • Clean snakehead fish with salt and vinegar: With this method, just mix vinegar with a little salt and gently rub it on the fish’s body, the fish will be free of slime and significantly reduce the fishy smell.
  • Clean snakehead fish with hot water: First, boil water at about 70 – 80 degrees Celsius and add a little salt. Then soak the snakehead fish in it for about 5 – 7 minutes, when the water cools down, use your hands to gently rub it. Finally, rinse it with clean water.
  • Clean snakehead fish with ash: If you have kitchen ash at home, cleaning the fish is very simple. Just put the snakehead fish in a bowl of ash, then use the ash to rub along the fish’s body. This method can completely remove the slime and the fishy smell.
  • Clean snakehead fish with banana leaves: Just crush a handful of fresh banana leaves, then use it to rub against the fish. The sap in the banana leaves can effectively remove slime and fishy odor. After that, just rinse with clean water to prepare for delicious dishes.
  • Remove fish slime with flour: Use flour on the fish, then wipe off the slime and rinse with water.

  

  
• 2

  Chop garlic and chili

  Take the garlic, peel it, and then chop it finely along with the chili.

  

  
• 3

  Make the sauce

  In a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, then stir well to dissolve the sugar quickly. Add all the chopped chili and garlic, and mix well to finish.

  

  
• 4

  Fry the snakehead fish

  Heat a pan with oil, wait for it to boil, then drop the snakehead fish in to fry until it is golden brown on both sides, then remove and drain the oil.

  Tip for you:

  • The snakehead fish should be drained or dried with a clean cloth before being placed in the pan. It will splatter less oil when frying.
  • Wait for the oil to be really hot before adding the fish; use chopsticks to touch the bottom of the pan and see tiny bubbles forming before adding the fish.
  • Do not turn the fish immediately; wait until one side is golden before flipping the fish, which helps prevent it from breaking apart and ensures it is crispy and delicious.

  

  
• 5

  Finished Product

  Drizzle the sauce made of fish sauce and sugar evenly over the crispy fried snakehead fish to complete the dish. You can immediately try the rich flavor of the sauce coating the fish, with a perfect balance of salty and sweet that is incredibly enticing. The snakehead fish is crunchy, with naturally sweet and tender meat. It pairs wonderfully with white rice!