Salt - crusted Fish (盐焗鱼)

Instead of salt - crusted chicken, I made it with fish, yet is so juicy and delicious. This recipe goes well with any kind of fish except those oily fish, white flesh just fine.




These are what you need ..........


Utensils

Baking tray
Oven


Ingredients

300gm ikan kurau (Treadfin. Tai Mah Yau Yee [Chinese], Koduva Meen [Tamil]), do not scaled (the scale will prevent the fish from saltiness and dryness)
1/2 lemon, thickly sliced
A hand full of basil leaf
400gm salt


Instructions

1. Lay aluminum foil on baking tray. 
2. Season fish with some salt at belly, stuff lemon and basil leaves in it. 
3. Squeeze some lemon juice over fish. 
4. Add some water to salt in order to hold together. 
5. Form a firm salt base on baking tray, place fish on top, cover the whole fish with the balance of the salt. 
6. Preheat oven at 180°, bake the fish for 20 mins. 
7. For timing wise, it depends on the size of the fish, bigger fish, longer time. 
8. After 20 mins, take out from oven, tap lightly on salt crust to remove, peeled the skin of the fish. Now the dish is ready to serve .........

 

 

Bitter Gourd Braised Fish Belly (苦瓜炆鱼腩)

Bitter gourd is my all time favorite, but I like it to be not bitter, very contradiction ......... :) There is a small secret to make bitter gourd not bitter, always marinate with salt for half an hour before cooking, you will see green juice after half an hour, throw away the juice, you will have bitter gourd which is not bitter.


These are what you need ..........


Utensils

Wok


Ingredients

300gm fish belly, cut into big chunks
200gm bitter gourd, cut into big chunks
1 tablespoon preserved black bean, roughly cut
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 spring onion, cut into 2" long
1 tablespoon sugar
Oil
1/2 cup of water
Plain flour
salt and pepper


Instructions

1. Marinate bitter gourd with a tablespoon of salt for half an hour, after that rinse well.
2. Season fish belly with salt and pepper, coat a thin layer of flour.
3. Heat up the wok with oil, fry the fish belly till golden brown, set aside.
4. Add a little oil to the wok, stir fry garlic and preserved black bean till fragrance
5. Put in the fried fish belly stir fry for a while, add half a cup of water, bring to boil, braising for 10 mins,
6. Add in bitter gourd, braising for another 10 mins
7. Turn to high flame, dry up the gravy, add in spring onion.

Now the dish is ready to serve .........