The fish meat is sweet, firm, and blends with a spicy and fragrant sauce from garlic, ginger, dried chili and pepper, creating a rich flavor that stimulates taste buds.
Tilapia is a familiar ingredient in family meals thanks to its reasonable price, rich nutrition and easy processing. According to the book "Nutritious Food" (Women's Publishing House), you can try grilling combined with spicy sauce to create a delicious and attractive dish without being too fussy.
To prepare the dish, housewives need to prepare 1 tilapia of about 800g, 1/2 onion, 5 water spinach stalks and 2 scallions. The seasoning includes 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of wine, 2 tablespoons of chili sauce, 300ml broth, 4 tablespoons of cooking oil with sliced ginger, minced ginger, minced garlic, dried chili and peppercorns.
First, clean tilapia and marinate it with salt and wine for about 15 minutes to remove the fishy smell and help the fish meat become firmer. While waiting for the fish to absorb the spices, peel the onion, wash it and then shred it. Water celery and scallions are also washed and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Place the onion on the bottom of the baking tray or plate, place the fish on top, then sprinkle minced ginger and drizzle about 1 tablespoon of cooking oil on the fish surface. Preheat the oven first at 220 degrees C, then grill the fish in the middle sieve for about 20 minutes.
During grilling, prepare the sauce. Heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil, sauté ginger, garlic, scallions, dried chili and pepper until fragrant. When the mixture is fragrant, add steamed chili sauce, stir well, then add broth, bring to a boil. Turn down the heat, cook for about 3 more minutes for the ingredients to blend together.
Finally, add water spinach and stir-fry quickly so that the vegetables are just cooked, still retaining their green color and crispness. Take the fish out of the oven, spread the sauce evenly on the entire surface, then continue to grill at 220 degrees C for another 5 - 8 minutes. The second grilling step will help the sauce penetrate deep into the fish meat, while creating a more beautiful and fragrant glossy surface.
According to chefs, the secret to making the dish more attractive is that this spicy sauce is not only suitable for tilapia but can also be applied to grass carp, carp or red tilapia. Because steamed chili sauce is inherently salty and the fish has been marinated beforehand, when processing, you should not add too much salt to avoid making the dish spicy.
When completed, tilapia has a light yellow skin, the meat inside still retains its natural softness and sweetness, blended with the spicy and fragrant sauce of garlic, ginger and peppercorns. The dish is suitable for hot meals with white rice, vermicelli or wrapped with raw vegetables, bringing a rich and novel flavor to a weekend meal.
