When we talk about sea fish, we are referring to fish from the ocean. However, sea fish tend to have a stronger fishy taste compared to river fish. Many people wonder how to cook sea fish in a way that minimizes this fishiness. While it's challenging to eliminate every bit of the fishy taste, the goal is to make it acceptable or barely noticeable.
How to Cook Sea Fish Without a Fishy Taste
To reduce the fishiness of sea fish, you first need to decide on the cooking method—whether it's frying, stir-frying, boiling, or something else. Using ingredients that can mask the fishy taste is a good approach. For example, cooking wine, apple cider vinegar, ginger, scallions, Sichuan pepper, and white wine can help remove the fishy smell. Additionally, it's important to remove parts of the fish that contribute to the fishiness, such as the black membrane, the bloodline (if present), and the internal organs. During the cooking process, you can also add orange peel, hawthorn berries, and garlic to cover up any remaining fishiness. However, due to their inherent marine fishiness, steaming methods may leave more residual fishiness compared to braising or other methods with more spices, which are easier to accept.
How to Cook Sea Fish Without a Fishy Taste: Braised Sea Fish
The braising method uses many seasonings and strong flavors, which can significantly overpower the original fishy taste of the sea fish.
Ingredients Needed
Sea fish, an appropriate amount of scallions, ginger, and garlic, one chili pepper, 15 ml light soy sauce, 5 ml dark soy sauce, 15 ml cooking wine, 10 grams cornstarch, 5 grams sugar.
Cooking Method
1. Clean the fish, removing the internal organs, and make diagonal cuts on both sides. Marinate with cooking wine, salt, and ginger slices for a while.
2. Slice the garlic, chop the chili peppers, and mince the scallions. Dust both sides of the fish with cornstarch.
3. Heat a pan, rub it with ginger, then add a small amount of oil. Pan-fry the fish over low heat until both sides are golden brown, then remove and drain the oil.
4. Leave some oil in the pan, sauté the scallions, ginger, and garlic. Add the fish, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, cooking wine, and sugar, then add an appropriate amount of water and bring to a boil.
5. Simmer until the sauce thickens, then transfer the fish to a plate. Thicken the remaining sauce and pour over the fish, garnishing with scallion.
Tips
Thickening the sauce helps it stick better to the fish.
How to Cook Sea Fish Without a Fishy Taste: Pan-Fried Ribbonfish
Pan-frying is another method that can effectively remove much of the fishiness.
Ingredients Needed
400 grams ribbonfish, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 3 slices ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt, a little white pepper, 1 tablespoon cooking wine.
Cooking Method
1. Clean the ribbonfish and pat dry. Cut into large pieces and make two diagonal cuts on each piece.
2. Season the fish with white pepper, salt, and cooking wine. Mix well and marinate for 2 minutes.
3. Pat dry any excess moisture from the fish and lightly dust with all-purpose flour.
4. Heat oil in a pan, add ginger slices to release aroma, then add the fish pieces. Pan-fry over medium-low heat until golden brown on both sides.
Tips
Fry using medium-low heat to avoid burning.
How to Cook Sea Fish Without a Fishy Taste: Grilled Sea Fish
Grilled fish is tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, with a rich grilled aroma that makes it more acceptable to many people.
Ingredients Needed
2 sea fish, an appropriate amount of olive oil, a little white pepper, mint, basil, onion, cilantro, green onions, salt, lemon juice, sweet and sour sauce, fish sauce.
Cooking Method
1. Clean and prepare the fish, then season evenly with salt and white pepper. Place on a baking tray.
2. Brush with olive oil and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onions and sauté until fragrant. Then add lemon juice, fish sauce, and sweet and sour sauce, stirring to combine.
4. Add mint, cilantro, and green onions. When the fish is done, pour the sauce over it and return it to the oven for another 20 minutes.
Tips
The baking time may vary depending on the size of the fish and your oven settings.