Hemibagrus is favored by many families as it can be processed into a variety of delicious dishes. Hemibagrus is also considered a high-nutrition seafood, especially good for iron supplementation and strengthening resistance.
Instead of making boiled or steamed lemongrass dishes that are too familiar, blood cockles with garlic butter sauce bring a completely different culinary experience with the harmony between the fatty taste and the fragrant aroma of fried garlic.
To make blood cockles with garlic butter sauce, housewives need to prepare 1kg of fresh blood cockles, 50gr of unsalted butter (unsalted butter to easily adjust the taste).
The accompanying spices and herbs include 2 cloves of garlic (about 60gr), 1-2 chili peppers, a little Vietnamese coriander and some other basic spices such as fish sauce, sugar, oyster sauce and ground pepper.
Using a lot of minced garlic is the secret to help the dish have a characteristic aroma and create an eye-catching dressing.
After buying blood cockles, soak them in rice water or diluted salt water mixed with a few slices of chili for at least 1-2 hours. This is a mandatory step to help blood cockles release all the mud and sand inside. Then, use a small brush to scrub off the outer shell under the tap.
A small tip for housewives is to briefly blanch clams in boiling water for about 30 seconds and then take them out immediately; this method will help clams absorb the sauce more easily without being tough or losing their natural sweetness.
When cooking, heat a pan with a little cooking oil, add all minced garlic and fry over low heat. When the garlic has just turned pale yellow, take out half of the fried garlic and set aside to maintain its crispness and aroma.
Next, put the unsalted butter in a pan and melt it, then add fish sauce, sugar and oyster sauce. Stir well until the sauce mixture starts to thicken and rise tiny bubbles.
Put blood cockles in a butter sauce pan, increase the heat and stir quickly for about 2-3 minutes. A high heat will help the sauce quickly wrap around the shells and absorb into the meat.
Finally, add the crispy fried garlic that has been set aside and sliced chili peppers to stir-fry briefly and turn off the heat immediately. Standard blood cockles with garlic butter must have rare cooked meat combined with a layer of golden, fragrant garlic butter sauce.
Blood cockles with garlic butter sauce should be enjoyed while still hot with Vietnamese coriander. The rich, fatty sauce of the dish will be very suitable to dip with crispy dried bread, creating a harmonious connection with the flavor to help change the taste of the family's dinner.
