A Nutritious Countryside Recipe
A hot bowl of soup, with a hint of countryside flavor with firm, sweet snakehead fish meat, soft green cabbage, a spicy taste from ginger, and a naturally sweet broth. This soup helps boost immunity, especially during the changing seasons.
Ingredients (Serves 6)
- 600 - 650 gr snakehead fish (1 fish)
- 1 bunch of sweet cabbage
- 1 small piece of ginger
- Spices: Fish sauce, salt, MSG (optional)
- Lard
- Wine, ginger for preliminary processing
How to Make Snakehead Fish Soup
Prepare the Snakehead Fish
- Choose medium-sized snakehead fish, about 600 - 700 gr, pointed, elongated, black-yellow in color, if it is a silver pomfret, it has a light yellow-green pattern.
- Clean the scales, remove the gills, gut it (keep the fish intestines).
- Rub with ginger wine to remove the fishy smell and slime, then wash and drain.
Prepare the Vegetables
- Choose light green cabbage, succulent stems, soft leaves.
- Pick out the old leaves and hard stems of the cabbage, wash and drain.
- Depending on your taste and habits, cut it into pieces, twist it or chop into small pieces.
Boil and Marinate the Fish
- Boil water with a little salt and ginger.
- Add the fish and skim off foam when boiling.
- When cooked, cool and remove lean meat.
- Marinate meat with fish sauce and pepper.
- Simmer head and bones 20-30 mins to sweeten broth, then strain.
Finish the Snakehead Fish Soup
- Rustic style: Boil fish broth, add cabbage until done, then add fish and season to taste. Add crushed ginger.
- Stronger flavor: Sauté shallots in lard, add marinated fish and stir-fry, add broth and cabbage. Finish with crushed ginger.
Tips
According to ancient cookbooks, snakehead fish nourishes yin, supports yang, and boosts immunity. It can be cooked in many ways.
Ginger removes fishy smells and balances the cold properties of the fish and greens.
If no snakehead fish, replace with perch and mustard greens.
Here are 5 FAQs about Snakehead Fish Soup Cooked With Sweet Cabbage in the Old Way:
What are the main ingredients in snakehead fish soup?
The main ingredients in traditional snakehead fish soup are:
- Snakehead fish fillet or whole fish (about 600-700g)
- Sweet cabbage
- Ginger
- Fish sauce, salt, MSG (optional)
- Lard or vegetable oil
- Ginger and wine for marinating the fish
The broth is made by simmering the head and bones of the snakehead fish to extract flavor and collagen.
What kind of cabbage is used?
Sweet cabbage variety like Napa cabbage or bok choy is traditionally used. The leaves should be succulent and tender. Avoid old, tough outer leaves.
Why is ginger added?
Ginger serves multiple purposes in this soup:
- It is rubbed on the fish to remove fishy smells and stickiness before cooking.
- It is boiled with the broth to add flavor.
- It is pounded and added at the end to provide a spicy, aromatic flavor.
What are the different cooking methods?
There are two main methods:
- Simmer fish and cabbage together in broth. Season and add ginger at the end.
- Cook fish separately. Fry fillets, make broth from head/bones. Boil cabbage in broth. Mix together before serving.
The second method produces a richer soup with firmer fish texture.
How is the soup usually served?
The soup is served hot in a bowl with the fish, cabbage, and ginger. Some variations:
- With rice vermicelli noodles instead of cabbage.
- With other veggies like celery, scallions, dill.
- Topped with fried shallots, cilantro, chili oil.
- With side dishes like fried fish cake or spring rolls.