Discover the top 10 delicious dishes made from catfish that you should know about.

Ingredients:

• 400g catfish
• 1 bottle of Thai hotpot broth
• 1/2 pineapple
• 2 tomatoes
• 150g betel leaves
• Fresh herbs, chili, garlic
• 1 purple onion
• Fresh rice vermicelli
• Side hotpot vegetables: mint, water spinach, morning glory, etc.
• Cooking oil, fish sauce

Instructions:

• Step 1: Prepare ingredients:
  • Use hot water around 70-80°C (near boiling), add a little salt to dissolve. Then soak the catfish, wear gloves and clean the mucus on the catfish body. Rinse the fish with clean water.
  • Slice the pineapple thinly, cut the tomatoes into wedges, finely chop garlic and purple onion, squeeze the betel leaves to extract sourness.
• Step 2: Cook the hotpot broth:
  • Place a pot on the stove with some cooking oil, when the oil is hot, add the purple onion and garlic to sauté until fragrant, then add the pineapple and tomatoes to stir-fry.
  • Then add 1.5 liters of filtered water, add the Thai hotpot broth, when the water boils, add the betel leaves and wait for the hotpot broth to boil again, then season with spices to taste and turn off the heat.
  • Catfish cooks quickly, so as soon as you eat, put the catfish in, if left in the hotpot for too long, the fish will fall apart.

• Final dish: Put some fresh rice vermicelli in a bowl, pour some hotpot broth along with a catfish. Dip the sweet and meaty fish into the spicy and fragrant fish sauce, nothing beats that.

Ingredients:

• 500g catfish
• 1 bunch of Vietnamese coriander
• Vinegar
• Garlic, spring onion, chili
• Sugar, fish sauce, seasoning powder, salt, pepper, cooking oil

Instructions:

• Step 1: Prepare the catfish as instructed. Then, marinate the catfish with ½ portion of finely chopped Vietnamese coriander, minced garlic and spring onion, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, ½ tablespoon of seasoning powder, a little salt, and pepper. Mix well and marinate for about 30 minutes for the catfish to absorb the seasoning.
• Step 2: Heat a clay pot, add cooking oil and sugar, when the sugar turns golden brown, add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, then reduce the heat.
• Step 3: Then, arrange each fish in the pot, add a little water just enough to cover the fish and braise the fish over medium heat. After 20 minutes, taste and adjust the seasoning, then sprinkle some sliced chili on top. Braise for another 10 minutes until the fish is firm and the sauce thickens, then turn off the heat. Garnish with remaining finely chopped Vietnamese coriander and minced spring onion on top, serve with hot rice.

Ingredients:

• 500g catfish
• 400g premium pork belly
• 30g spring onion
• 1 bulb garlic
• 2 spicy chili peppers
• 300ml fresh coconut water
• Seasonings: Sugar, seasoning powder, fish sauce

Instructions:

• Prepare the pork:
  • Wash the pork belly to remove any residue by rinsing it with diluted saltwater. Use a knife to remove any hairs from the skin if present. Then rinse the pork several times with cold water, cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Prepare and marinate the fish:
  • Soak the catfish in a mixture of diluted saltwater and a little vinegar to reduce the fishy smell. Then, remove the gills, fins, and clean the intestines if any, rinse the fish 2-3 times with clean water, and drain.
  • Place the fish in a bowl, marinate with 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, and a little ground pepper. Let the fish marinate for about 30 minutes to absorb the seasoning.
• Prepare the remaining ingredients:
  • Peel and wash the garlic, then mince finely. Peel and wash the garlic, then mince finely.
  • Remove the stems of the chili peppers, wash off any dirt, and cut into small pieces. Trim the roots off the spring onions, peel off the outer layer of skin, wash clean, and chop finely.
• Cooking the catfish in clay pot:
  • Heat a clay pot on the stove, add the pork belly and stir until the meat firms up, and the fat renders out, then continue to cook until the meat is browned. At this point, add the marinated fish, mix well, and then add enough fresh coconut water to cover the fish.
  • Braise the mixture of fish and meat for about 30 minutes, when the ingredients start to firm up, add 1 tablespoon of caramel sauce, continue to braise for 5 more minutes. Leave the pot uncovered to prevent burning.
  • Before turning off the heat, add some minced garlic and spring onion to the pot, adjust the seasoning to taste.
• Finish and enjoy the dish:
  • The catfish braised with pork belly has a fragrant aroma, the fish absorbs the seasoning well, naturally sweet without being fishy, it tastes delicious. The sauce is rich and flavorful, scoop it out into a bowl for dipping with various herbs or pour it over hot rice to enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 300g fresh catfish
• 30g Tây Ninh shrimp salt
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• Bamboo skewers
• 5g Vietnamese coriander
• Seasonings: vinegar, seasoning powder, oyster sauce, chili sauce, fish sauce, cooking oil, sea salt.

Instructions:

• Step 1: Prepare the catfish:
  • Place the catfish in a large bowl, add a handful of sea salt, cover with a lid, and let it die naturally.
  • Then, rinse the fish with vinegar to remove the slime. Rinse again with cold water.
  • Skewer the fish with bamboo sticks.
• Step 2: Make the marinade:
  • In a bowl, mix 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, 30g Tây Ninh shrimp salt, 1 tablespoon chili sauce, ½ teaspoon oyster sauce, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, 2 teaspoons fish sauce, and 2 teaspoons cooking oil.

• Step 3: Marinate the catfish:
  • Pour the marinade over the fish, coat evenly, and marinate for about 10 minutes.
  • You can reserve some marinade to brush onto the fish while grilling.

• Step 4: Grill the catfish:
  • You can grill the fish over charcoal, in an air fryer, or on an electric grill.
  • Light the charcoal and wait until it turns red. Place the grill rack and arrange the fish on top. While grilling, brush the remaining marinade onto the fish. Flip the fish regularly to ensure even cooking and flavor absorption.
  • If using an air fryer, line the bottom with aluminum foil, place the fish on top, and set the temperature to 180°C for 17 minutes.
• Step 5: Serve and enjoy:
  • Once the catfish is cooked, transfer it to a serving plate while hot. Enjoy with Vietnamese coriander and dip in tamarind fish sauce.

Ingredients:

• 300g catfish
• 1 cup coconut water
• Shallots, garlic, chili
• Sugar, fish sauce, salt, pepper

Instructions:

• Step 1: Clean the catfish and drain. Then marinate the fish with finely chopped shallots, crushed chili, 2 tablespoons sugar, a little salt, 1 tablespoon cooking oil, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, and pepper. Mix well and marinate for about 30 minutes for the fish to absorb the seasoning.
• Step 2: Put cooking oil and sugar in a clay pot, when the sugar turns golden, add minced garlic and shallots and sauté until fragrant. Next, add the marinated catfish to the pot and braise over high heat.
• Step 3: Keep the heat high for about 3 more minutes until the fish firms up, then add coconut water to the pot. When the water boils, reduce the heat, simmer until the fish is tender, then turn off the heat.

That's how to cook delicious braised catfish. You can enjoy it with white rice, cucumber, boiled vegetables, or sour soup.

Ingredients:

• 200g catfish
• 100g scallions
• 100g rice
• A pinch of common spices (salt/sugar/ground pepper)

Instructions:

• Toast the rice:
  • First, put 100g rice in a pan, place it on the stove and toast over medium-low heat. When the rice turns slightly golden, pour 2 bowls of water into the pot and simmer over medium heat.
  • Toasting the rice before cooking porridge will make your porridge more fragrant, and the rice grains won't be too swollen after cooking.

• Prepare the ingredients:
  • Clean and drain the catfish. Let the fish dry, then cut off the tail. You may not need to gut the fish to maintain its unique taste.
  • Clean the scallions, remove the roots, and cut the top part of the scallions into 3 - 4 cm sections. Finely chop the remaining scallion leaves separately.
• Cook the porridge:
  • When your porridge pot boils, reduce to medium-low heat and add the cleaned catfish. Add the chopped scallion tops, then add a little ground pepper, a little salt, and a bit of chicken powder.
  • Simmer the porridge over low heat for about 5 - 7 more minutes until the porridge is soft and cooked through, then turn off the heat. Adjust the seasoning to taste, then ladle the porridge into bowls, sprinkle with some ground pepper and chopped scallion leaves on top, and it's done.

• Finished product: Scallion catfish porridge is not only delicious and easy to cook but also has a rich and fragrant taste. This porridge is great for relieving cold symptoms. You can enjoy it with a little chili fish sauce to enhance the flavor.

Ingredients:

• 500g catfish
• 3 eggs
• 150g ripe tamarind
• 1 bulb garlic
• 2 horn peppers
• 1 lime
• 150g assorted herbs
• 30g cornstarch
• Various spices: salt, seasoning powder, fish sauce, chicken powder, sugar, ground pepper, chili powder.

Instructions:

• Step 1: Prepare the ingredients:
  • Put the catfish in a bowl, add lime juice and 5 tablespoons of salt, cover tightly and shake the bowl to remove the slime. Then rinse the fish, drain, sprinkle a little salt over the fish to prevent it from being fishy.
  • Soak the ripe tamarind in boiling water, then squeeze it by hand until it dissolves completely, strain to remove the residue, and pour the tamarind water into a separate bowl.
  • Peel and crush the garlic, then finely chop.
  • Slice the horn peppers.
  • Wash and clean the herbs, you can soak them in diluted saltwater for hygiene, then lift them out, drain, and arrange them on a plate.
  • Put the cornstarch in a bowl, add a little filtered water and egg yolks, and stir until smooth.

• Step 2: Process the fish:
  • Pour cooking oil into a pan, wait until the oil is hot, then dip the catfish in the batter bowl and fry in the pan until golden brown on all sides.
  • Remove the fried catfish, place them in a basket lined with paper towels to absorb the oil.
• Step 3: Prepare the tamarind sauce:
  • In another pan, sauté the garlic until fragrant and golden with cooking oil and a little chili powder to create an attractive color.
  • Pour the tamarind water, dissolved cornstarch, into the pan; adjust the heat to medium-low, add some seasoning powder, chicken powder, sugar, fish sauce, ground pepper, and sliced chili to taste. Continue cooking until the tamarind sauce thickens.
  • Pour the tamarind sauce into a small bowl.

The steps in making crispy fried catfish are complete. Perhaps, fried fish is something everyone has eaten a lot. In the North, we often use fish with ginger fish sauce, while in the South, there is a very distinctive tamarind fish sauce. Each crispy piece of fried fish blends perfectly with the egg, accompanied by fragrant herbs, and sweet and sour tamarind sauce.

Ingredients:

• 600g catfish
• 300g pork belly
• 1 coconut
• 500g fresh noodles
• 150g minced lemongrass
• 5 cloves garlic
• 5 chilies
• 1 eggplant
• Some hotpot dipping vegetables (wild betel leaf, water mimosa, water spinach, dragon bean, lettuce)
• 250g fermented fish sauce
• 4 tablespoons cooking oil
• 100ml vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
• A pinch of common spices

Instructions:

Prepare the catfish:

• To remove the slime from the catfish, use a little salt and vinegar to rub on the surface of each fish. Then rinse thoroughly with cold water.
• After cleaning the catfish, sequentially remove the fish's mouth, rinse again with water, then drain.

Prepare and marinate the pork belly:

• To remove the pork's odor, soak the pork belly in diluted saltwater for about 5 minutes, then remove and wash thoroughly with water. When the pork is drained, cut it into pieces about 1/2 finger thick.
• To marinate the pork, put the pork in a plate, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon chicken powder, and 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce, mix well, and marinate for 20 minutes.

Prepare other ingredients:

• Peel and clean the garlic, use a knife to crush and mince. Remove the stems of the chilies, wash, and then finely chop.
• Wash the eggplant, remove the head, cut the body into 4 sections, then cut into edible pieces.
• For the hotpot dipping vegetables including wild betel leaf, water mimosa, dragon bean, and water spinach, wash them clean and drain.

Stir-fry the pork belly:

• Heat a pan, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, when the oil is hot, add half of the minced garlic, stir-fry until fragrant, then add the pork belly.
• Stir evenly for about 5 minutes, the pork is slightly firm, and evenly cooked, then turn off the heat.

Cook the fermented fish sauce hotpot broth:

• Heat a pot, pour about 1 liter of water into the pot, when the water is hot, add 250g of fermented fish sauce, and boil for 40 minutes until the fish is soft. Pour this used water through a strainer to remove the fish bones.

Cook the hotpot:

• Continue heating the hotpot pot, add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil, when the oil is hot, add the remaining garlic, fry until golden, then add 150g of minced lemongrass, stir for another 3 minutes, then add the chilies.
• Stir for about 2 more minutes, then add the flesh of 1 coconut, cook until the water boils again, then add the fermented fish sauce broth.
• Continue to boil, then add the pork belly and eggplant, add 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of chicken powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for about another 2 minutes, then taste for the last time to suit your family's taste.
• When eating, sequentially add catfish, dipping vegetables, and enjoy!