How to Make Vietnamese Braised Catfish with Tomato Sauce
Braised Catfish with Tomato Sauce should be braised for a long time with tomatoes and tomato sauce to allow the catfish to absorb the seasoning and soften the bones.
You can call it braised catfish with tomato sauce or simply braised catfish. This method ensures that the catfish is not fishy, the bones are tender, and the dish is thoroughly infused with delicious sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 fresh catfish ~ 1kg
- 150g pork belly
- 6 tomatoes
- 2 dried onions
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- 1 piece of ginger
- 2 fresh chili peppers
- Tomato sauce
- Chili sauce
- 4-5 green tea stalks
- Green onions, perilla
- Seasonings: Soy sauce, fish sauce, MSG, sugar, pepper
Instructions
Preparing Catfish
Catfish is delicious and meaty, but many people are hesitant to prepare dishes using this ingredient due to its strong fishy odor. The main concern is eliminating the fishy smell from catfish.
How to Remove the Fishy Smell from Catfish
After removing the head, tail, fins, and innards, rinse the catfish with diluted saltwater. Then, peel off the thin skin from the outside. The catfish skin is the primary cause of the fishy smell.
After peeling the skin, rinse the fish again, let it drain, and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
Choose catfish that have a shiny green exterior, clear eyes, intact body parts without any broken sections. The body should feel firm and the flesh thick, with a resilient texture when pressed. The gills should still have a bright red color. Select fish that do not have a foul odor, are not slimy, and are not mushy or rotten.
Preparing Other Ingredients
Wash the tomatoes thoroughly and cut them into small wedges.
Clean the pork belly, drain the water, and then slice it into thick chunks about 1 cm thick to prevent it from breaking apart during cooking.
Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. Clean the ginger, remove any wilted or blackened parts, then crush and chop it finely.
Gently pound the green tea leaves after washing them.
Green tea leaves are very effective at eliminating the fishy smell from marine fish, which not many people are aware of.
Wash and roughly chop the green onions, perilla, river bone leaves.
Clean the fresh chili peppers and slice them. Adding a bit of spiciness will balance the fishy taste of the catfish and enhance the overall flavor of the dish.
Marinating Catfish
Marinate the catfish with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, minced garlic, onions, and ginger for at least 30 minutes to ensure the fish is flavorful and firm.
Frying Catfish
Add cooking oil to a clean pan, place a few slices of fresh ginger in the oil, and heat it. Once the oil is hot, add the catfish to fry.
Adding ginger to the oil while frying also helps make the catfish more fragrant.
Fry the catfish until it turns a golden brown color, then remove it from the pan.
Preparing Tomato Sauce for Braising Fish
After marinating, the catfish will release some liquid. Use the marinating liquid and mix in 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/3 tablespoon of MSG, 1/2 tablespoon of ground pepper, 1 tablespoon of tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon of chili sauce, and 1 bowl of water.
Choose a chili sauce that is spicy. If using Chinsu chili sauce, note that it has a slightly sweet taste.
How to Make Braised Catfish with Tomato Sauce
Cover the pot tightly and start cooking.
Initially, use a slightly higher heat to bring the sauce to a boil, ensuring that the sauce evenly coats the fish. Then, reduce the heat to a simmer and let the catfish cook for about 3-4 hours.
Alternative Method
If you do not use the method shared by Cookbeo, you can also prepare the fish, marinate the fish, and lightly fry it. Then, sauté the onions, garlic, and ginger until fragrant, add the tomatoes to stir-fry, then add the fish, season, and cook until the tomatoes are soft and mushy before turning off the heat and adding the green onions. This method is quick and tasty, but the fish will not absorb the flavors as thoroughly as when braised slowly with sauce. However, if not done carefully, it may still taste fishy.
