How to Make Vietnamese Braised Mackerel with Aromatic Sauce
Braised Mackerel with Aromatic Sauce is the most commonly applied method when braising mackerel. This dish is especially favored by people in the South for its mild sweet and sour taste, preventing the fish from drying out or being tough.
Ingredients
- 2 pieces of fresh mackerel ~ 550g
- 1 pineapple ~ 500g
- 2 dried onions, 1 piece of ginger
- Turmeric powder or 1 piece of fresh turmeric
- 1-2 chili peppers
- 300ml green tea water (if available)
- Rock salt
- Seasonings: caramelized sugar water, seasoning powder, seasoning mix, fish sauce, MSG, ground pepper
Ingredient Notes
To cook braised mackerel with aromatic sauce, you can use fresh mackerel or grilled mackerel.
The amount of pineapple depends on personal preference and taste, adjust accordingly.
The green tea water effectively eliminates the fishy smell from mackerel, and the bitter taste of the green tea combined with seasonings makes the braised mackerel more appealing. However, not having it does not affect the flavor of the dish.
In the method of braising braised mackerel with aromatic sauce as in this article, Cookbeo uses caramelized sugar water to create color and flavor for the dish. You can also refer to here.
Instructions
Preparing Mackerel
Mackerel is rubbed with rock salt, then rinsed clean and drained. Alternatively, you can use a dry cloth to pat the fish dry.
In addition to rock salt, you can use freshly crushed ginger and a bit of white wine, or ginger wine to remove the fishy smell of mackerel.
Marinating the mackerel also helps reduce the fishy odor. Marinate the mackerel with:
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon seasoning powder
- ½ teaspoon MSG
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ½-1 teaspoon turmeric powder to give the fish color and reduce fishiness
After marinating, lightly fry the mackerel to make the fish fragrant and savory. Add cooking oil to a pan; the amount of oil doesn't need to be as much as when deep-frying fish. To make the mackerel more fragrant, add a few slices of fresh ginger to the pan while frying.
Once the oil is hot, add the fish pieces. Lightly fry until the mackerel pieces are firm and turn golden brown. Do not fry too much; over-frying will make the mackerel dry and lose its sweetness.
Once fried, place the mackerel on a separate plate.
Preparing Other Ingredients
Pineapple, after peeling, removing the eyes, and washing thoroughly, is cut into 4 pieces and cored. Half of them, chop the pomegranate seeds finely to give the braised fish sauce a sweet and sour taste with thickness. The other half is sliced into triangular pieces about 1cm thick.
Peel and crush the dried onions and ginger, then finely chop.
Clean the fresh chili peppers, crush them, and cut into pieces.
Braising Mackerel with Pineapple
Place the prepared pineapple with pomegranate seeds at the bottom of the pot, arrange some pineapple pieces around, and add a layer of onions, ginger, and chili. Place the mackerel on top, then sprinkle the remaining onions, ginger, and chili.
Next, season the braising sauce with:
- 3 tablespoons caramelized sugar water
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon seasoning mix
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Sprinkle the remaining pineapple pieces around the surface of the fish.
At this point, you can either start braising the fish immediately or let the fish absorb the seasoning for a while.
When braising the fish, initially use high heat to bring the sauce to a boil, ensuring that the sauce evenly coats the fish. Then, reduce the heat to a simmer and braise the fish for about 3-4 hours.
