How to Make Vietnamese Steamed Snakehead Fish with Calabash

Preparing the Snakehead Fish

Clean the snakehead fish by removing scales, fins, tail, and gills. Rub the fish with coarse salt to remove the slime and fishy odor, then rinse thoroughly and let it drain.

If the fish is too large, you can cut it into sections for easier steaming.

Preparing the Calabash

Trim the ends of the calabash and wash the outer skin thoroughly. Cut the calabash lengthwise to split it into two parts. The larger part, about 2/3 of the calabash, will be used to hold the fish. The remaining part will be used as a lid during steaming.

Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds, but be careful not to scrape too close to the skin, as a thin skin might break easily during steaming.

Preparing Other Ingredients

Mince or pound the shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, turmeric, 1 hot chili, and a small piece of lemongrass. This mixture will be used to marinate the fish for added fragrance.

Wash the red chili, then slice half into thin strips and the other half into diagonal slices for garnish, enhancing the visual appeal of the dish.

Clean the green onions, dill, and Vietnamese coriander, then cut them into pieces about the length of a finger.

Crush the lemongrass and cut it into sections.

Julienne the galangal and ginger.

Marinating the Snakehead Fish

To make the steamed snakehead fish flavorful, marinate it before steaming. Lightly score the fish to help it absorb the seasoning, then place it in a large bowl.

For a 250g fish, marinate with:

• 1 tablespoon Nam Ngư Fish Sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning powder
• 1/2 teaspoon MSG
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil to keep the fish tender

Spread this mixture evenly over the entire fish. Then add the minced shallots, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, and chili to the fish for further marination.

Let the fish marinate for about 20 minutes.

Steaming the Snakehead Fish with Calabash

Place the fish inside the calabash, then add lemongrass, ginger, and other ingredients around it. Cover with the calabash lid and tie it with green onion leaves to prevent the ingredients from spilling out during steaming. To make the green onion leaves more pliable, blanch them in hot water first.

Secure the calabash with blanched green onion leaves.

Since the fish and calabash will release some liquid during steaming, you can wrap the calabash in aluminum foil to prevent the liquid from leaking. Then sprinkle green onions, dill, Vietnamese coriander, chili, galangal, and ginger around the fish.

If you want more calabash in the dish, you can cut a few extra slices and place them around the fish to steam together.

Add water to the pot, filling it to about half the distance between the pot bottom and the steamer. Heat the water until it boils, then place the fish in the steamer to ensure even cooking.

When steaming, keep the heat low, cover the pot tightly, and steam for about 25 minutes. If the fish is larger, increase the steaming time slightly.

About 5 minutes before turning off the heat, add the remaining green onions, dill, coriander, and chili to enhance the dish's aroma. Then, cover the pot and continue steaming until the fish is fully cooked. Adding the green onions and dill at the end helps them retain their vibrant green color, making the dish more visually appealing.

Making the Dipping Sauce

For dipping the steamed fish, Cookbeo uses Nam Ngư Ly Son Garlic Chili Fish Sauce. This fish sauce is made with 100% garlic from Ly Son Island, known for its unique garlic flavor. The garlic from this region has a distinctive, mild heat with firm, aromatic cloves.

Before using, shake the bottle well to evenly mix the garlic and chili inside.

Nam Ngư Ly Son Garlic Chili Fish Sauce has a distinct aroma from Ly Son garlic, with a beautiful ivory color, and offers a rich, sweet, and sour flavor. Depending on your family's taste, you can add a bit of sugar or lime juice to adjust the sweetness or sourness.

With its delicious, rich, and well-balanced flavor, you can use Nam Ngư Ly Son Garlic Chili Fish Sauce not only for dipping steamed fish but also for fried fish, boiled vegetables, as a sauce for grilled pork with vermicelli, or even as a dressing for salads, eliminating the need to add extra garlic, chili, or other ingredients.

Besides the sweet and sour garlic sauce mentioned above, you can also use fermented anchovy sauce (mắm nêm) or tamarind fish sauce (mắm me) as an alternative dip for steamed snakehead fish with calabash.