Fish is a recognized healthy food, yet its unique fishy smell makes it unacceptable to many people. How can we remove the fishy smell and enhance the umami of fish? Let me introduce you to a few techniques.
1. If you are making soup with a whole fish, you can first lightly fry both sides of the fish in oil. After frying the fish, add ginger and cooking wine to stir-fry until fragrant. Add cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Do not turn the fish over before the water boils. Simmer over low heat until the soup turns white, then add a little vinegar. Before turning off the heat, add salt and chicken essence, and garnish with chopped green onions. If you don't have ginger at home, you can use cilantro instead. The method is to fry both sides of the fish until slightly yellow in oil, add cold water and bring to a boil, then put a few cilantro stalks in. After cooking, remove the cilantro.
2. If you are making fish soup with fish fillets, you can first stir-fry ginger slices in oil until fragrant, add cooking wine, then add cold water. After the water comes to a boil, add the fish fillets to the pot. In addition, stir-frying the oil with star anise can not only remove the fishy smell but also add fragrance.
3. Add side ingredients, such as king oyster mushrooms. Mushrooms have the effect of enhancing aroma and umami. King oyster mushrooms have thick flesh, a crisp and tender texture, and a light almond-like aroma, making them a perfect match for fish.
4. First, fry the fish head and tail until golden in oil. Take out the fish head and split it in half with a knife. Then, add the split fish head back into the pot. Use high heat to "push out" the fish brain, which can make the soup rich in umami, mellow in flavor, and rich in various nutrients.