Taste of Homeland: Salted Braised Barracuda

One day, I followed the fishermen out to sea to cast their nets into the ocean. The wooden boat carrying me and the fishermen from Pho Quang (Duc Pho Town, Quang Ngai ) fishing with purse seine nets left the previous afternoon and arrived at the shore the next morning.

The night at sea was bright with moonlight. The ship anchored more than 10 nautical miles from shore. The high-pressure lamps on the roof were shining brightly, attracting schools of fish. The wind was chasing the mysterious night sea. Waves lapped against the ship, creating white foam. In the distance, the electric lights on countless fishing boats were shining brightly.

Barracuda on the family dinner table

After a long time of keeping the lights on brightly, fish and squids came to swim around the ship. The fishermen called it "fish eating lights". The captain smiled and signaled his fellow fishermen to prepare to cast their nets. The lights on the ship suddenly went out, a fisherman and a basket pulled the electric light along on the waves. The engine roared, the ship cut through the waves and drew a circle on the sea surface. The long seine net was cast into the sea at night...

Fishermen and machines pull the nets onto the deck. Squids with skin that glitters like glitter. Mackerel, herring, barracuda... glittering silver. The boat heads for shore as dawn breaks in the distance. On the wharf and under the boats, there is a bustle of chatter, laughter, and bargaining.

Barracuda before processing

The barracudas are the size of a wrist, each kilo is only a few tens of thousands of dong. This fish can be processed into many delicious dishes: fried, grilled, cooked in sour soup..., the best for me is braised with salt and eaten with rice. Use a knife to cut off the fins and scrape off the small and smooth scales on the outside, then remove the intestines. Then, cut the fish into short pieces, wash them, and drain them in a basket. Next, put the fish in a pot with salt, fish sauce, sugar, sliced ​​chili, a little turmeric powder, peanut oil, and thinly sliced ​​shallots.

More than ten minutes later, when the fish has absorbed the spices, pour in enough water to cover the fish and put it on the stove, simmering. Boil the fish pot for more than half an hour until the water is gone, open the lid, the aroma spreads in the small kitchen, making you crave for food. Sprinkle some ground pepper on top and remove from the stove, you have a braised fish dish with rich flavor. When the rice is cooked, a plate of braised salted barracuda appears on the tray.

Barracuda fish specializes in hunting small fish with a fairly fast swimming speed, so the fish meat is firm. Peanut oil and spices penetrate deep inside, so the braised fish is very delicious. Pick up a piece of fish, put it in a bowl, then a piece of rice, chew slowly to feel the full flavor. The fragrant sticky rice mixed with the salty braised fish is so delicious.

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