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If you are fortunate enough to live in Orange County, California most Vietnamese Supermarkets will clean your fish for you for FREE ! I love that they provide this kind of service ! It saves me so much time and work ! They can also fry your fish upon request ! The Vietnamese Supermarket that I seldom to go to is called Da Lat Supermarket in Garden Grove on the corner of Euclid St and Garden Grove Blvd. If you walk to the seafood department, you will see the sign below that shows you what services they provide without charge.
The fishmonger on the far left of the photo is actually prepping my catfish for me. I had asked him to clean the fish and butterfly it. You see those orange trays in the photo? You just take your fish of choice and place it on one of those trays. Then instruct the fishmonger what it is that you want them to do with your fish. This service is awesome and I definitely like to take advantage of it ! Once your fish has been cleaned, just follow the recipe below!
Vietnamese Roasted Catfish – Cá Nướng Da Giòn
Ingredients
For The Fish :
- 5 LBS One Whole Catfish ( Cleaned & Butterflied )
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 1 Stick of Butter ( Melted )
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Honey
Microwave In A Bowl :
- 1 Bunch of Scallions ( Chopped )
- 3 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
- 2-3 Pinches of Salt
Toppings:
- Crush Roasted Peanuts
- Lee Brand Fried Red Onion
For The Anchovy Dipping Sauce ( Mắm Nêm ):
- 1 Bottle Pagolac Mam Nem ( 12.5 FL OZ )
- ½ Tablespoon Sugar
- 2 Tablespoon Fish Sauce
- ½ Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 2 Tablespoon Minced Lemongrass ( Fresh or Frozen )
- 1 Can Dole Crushed Pineapples ( 10 OZ )
- 2-3 Teaspoons Chili Paste ( Or substitute with fresh chopped Thai Chilis )
Serve With A Platter Of Vegetables :
- 1 Package Dried Rice Paper Sheets ( Bánh tráng )
- Red or Green Leaf Lettuce
- Cilantro
- Mint Leaves
- Vietnamese Perilla ( Tia To )
- Cucumbers ( Thinly Sliced )
- Pickled Daikon & Carrots ( Optional )
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven at 400 degrees.
- Make the anchovy dipping sauce. In a bowl combine the Pagolac Mam nem with the sugar, fish sauce, fresh lime juice, minced garlic, minced lemongrass, crushed pineapples and chili paste ( or substitute with fresh chopped thai chili ). Set aside.
- Prep your platter of vegetables. Wash the lettuce and herbs. Thinly slice the cucumbers. Then set aside.
- Chop the scallions and dump into a bowl. Pour in the vegetable oil and add 2-3 pinches of salt. Microwave for 1 minute and set aside.
- Clean the fish then score it on both sides .
- Brush some cooking oil all over the skin of the fish on both sides.
- Place the stick of butter in a bowl and cover with a plate to prevent splatter. Microwave until melted. Then brush some butter all over the skin of the fish on both sides.
- Sprinkle some garlic salt and black pepper on both sides of the fish.
- Open up the fish and brush some butter all over the belly then sprinkle on some garlic salt and black pepper.
- Coat a grill/broiler pan set with vegetable oil . Coat the top grill and also the bottom drip pan to prevent sticking or smoking during the baking process.
- Place the fish flat onto the grill pan with the skin side up. Transfer the pan to the oven and place on the top rack. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Then slightly pull out the grill pan. Brush some vegetable oil and butter onto the fish. Bake for 20 minutes more.
- Slightly pull out the grill pan and brush a thin layer of honey onto the skin of the fish. Bake 15 minutes more.
- Now increase the temperature to BROIL . At this point, you must keep a careful eye on the fish otherwise it may quickly burn ! Each oven is different so roasting time may vary. It should only take a few minutes for the skin to turn brown. Remove the fish from the oven once it has turned brown and crispy ! Re-heat the bowl of scallions from earlier for 30 seconds. Then spread the scallions all over the fish. Try to scoop out just the scallions and leave behind any excess oil in the bowl. Discard the oil. Top the fish with some of the Lee Brand Fried Red Onions and crushed roasted peanuts.
- When you are ready to serve your delicious fish, dip your rice paper into some warm water and lay it on a plate. Then add your lettuce, herbs, sliced cucumbers, pickled daikon and carrots ( optional ) and a spoonful of roasted fish . If you'd like, you can also add some vermicelli rice noodles to your roll !
- Roll the bottom of the rice paper up, then the sides and roll the rest of the way.
- Dip your roll into the anchovy dipping sauce and enjoy !
Notes
