Description
Crispy lemongrass fish topped with peanuts and served with nước chấm. Grill, bake, or air fry it. Enjoy it several wraps: wrapped in rice paper, with rice, or in a noodle bowl.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 lbs snakehead fish (Cá Lóc)
- 1 tablespoon neutral or shallot oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 large stalk lemongrass (keep the leaves)
- 1 small shallot (peeling optional)
- 1 garlic (peeling optional)
- 1/4 cup toasted peanuts (roughly chopped)
- Scallion oil (mở hành)
- Dipping Sauce (nước chấm)
Instructions
- Prepare the fish: Start by using a sharp knife to make shallow cuts on the top of the fish, going all the way down to the backbone. This will help the fish cook faster and make for a visually stunning presentation once it’s done. Rub fish thoroughly with oil, salt and pepper.
- Prepare the aromatics: Bruise the stalks of the lemongrass. Slice the shallots and garlic. Stuff these aromatics into the cavity of the fish.
- Preheat your grill, oven, or air fryer to 400°F. If grilling the fish, brush the grill grates with oil to prevent sticking. If baking or air frying, line the pan or air fryer basket with foil to make cleanup easier. Place the fish belly-side down and cook for about 25 minutes in the air fryer or grill or 30 minutes in the oven, until the skin is crispy. If cooking in the oven, you may need to switch to broil to get the skin crispy. To do this, move the fish to the top rack, close to the broiler, and tilt the fish so one side faces the broiler. Broil at 400°F for about 8 minutes per side.
- Serve: When fish is done, brush with scallion oil and top with toasted peanuts. Serve the dipping sauce on the side. Enjoy it wrapped in rice paper, with steamed rice, or in a noodle bowl.
Notes
- If you can’t find snakehead fish, you can substitute it with other firm-fleshed white fish such as catfish which would be the most similar, sea bass, cod, or halibut.
- If you don’t have lemongrass, use lime or lemon leaves.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Entree, Side Dish
- Method: Air Fryer, Grill, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese