Braised catfish in a clay pot, a simple yet delicious dish!

Tilapia live on the seabed in both saltwater and freshwater environments and are nocturnal feeders.

The common carp is typically 10-20 cm long and can change color to adapt to its environment. Depending on its color and size, common carp has various names such as: pink carp, yellow carp, yellow striped carp, etc., but the pink carp is the largest (some can reach 35 cm in length), while the smallest is the yellow striped carp (only 3-4 cm long).

Tilapia is highly nutritious, with tender, fatty, and sweet flesh... Skilled housewives prepare tilapia into many delicious and attractive dishes such as: tilapia with eggs braised with pork belly, fried tilapia with tomato sauce, tilapia only made into sour fish sauce... But there is one simple, easy-to-make, and most memorable dish from my childhood: tilapia braised in a clay pot.

Braised catfish in a clay pot.

Every time the fish season arrived, my grandmother would go to the market very early to buy catfish to braise in a clay pot. She would choose large, fresh catfish, clean them, drain them, and then marinate them with spices (crushed scallion heads, salt, sugar, MSG, chili, coconut caramel sauce, etc.) to taste. After letting them marinate for about 5 minutes, she would add enough good quality fish sauce to cover the fish. Then, she would place the pot on the stove over low heat until the fish was cooked and the sauce thickened. To make the sauce thicker and more appealing in color – according to my grandmother – before the sauce started to dry up slightly, she would add a little boiled rice water. Finally, she would add some pork cracklings (or cooking oil), a little ground pepper, and a few ripe chili peppers, and it was done!

After a tiring day of work, there's no greater joy than returning home to enjoy a meal of braised catfish and a bowl of fragrant wild greens soup. Pick up a piece of braised catfish and a spoonful of wild greens soup, chew slowly. The rich, sweet flavor of the fish blends with the delicate sweetness and distinctive aroma of the greens, spreading across your taste buds… Pour some of the soup over your rice and slurp it down, and you'll experience all the "flavors of the countryside"!

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/du-lich/202508/ca-phen-kho-todan-da-ma-ngon-9ac0d42/