Braised halibut – rustic but delicious

When the first rain of the season pours water into the canals and ditches filled with silt, it is also the time for the dolphins to come. The hooves, bottoms, and shoals placed in the rivers in front of the house are always full of dolphins. That’s why in the early morning, market-goers go to the fish stall to see the sharks lying in the basin jumping and eroding. Knowing that the family likes fish, every time I go to the market, my mother immediately buys this fish. Sometimes cooking sour soup, sometimes deep frying, grinding to make rolls. But above all, braised cod fish is the best, so it is the mother’s priority to process it.

Never knew this fish had such a funny name. No one can explain. But let’s put the name aside for now, the important thing is that the fish makes the family meal more delicious. Like the catfish (same family, but red tail, bigger), the fish has a lot of small bones, but in return, the fish meat is fatty, soft and sweet. Unlike some other freshwater fishes, porpoises (including bream) only remove the intestines, clean the gills, cut off the fins and tail. Very quick. Absolutely do not scrape fish scales, because the fish scales are soft, crunchy, strange to eat. In addition, this fish scale should be accidentally crushed, making the fish meat bitter, so the villagers just let it be. Given the job by my mother, my brother and I quickly prepared some unpleasant fish, carefully placing them in a bamboo basket to drain. Mother gently put the basket of fish into the pot to marinate. As the name of the dish is “potato braised”, so my mother never seasoned it too salty, nor sweet. Depending on the taste of each place, each person has a different way of seasoning. But do not add cooking oil or add fat to create a very greasy taste because the nature of the meat and fish head is already fat. To color the broth, you can use coconut-colored water or molasses sugar. Marinate fish for 30 minutes for firm meat. Then, my mother brought it to the stove to cook. Wood stove has the advantage that in addition to saving money on gas, it also has the advantage that the firewood burns evenly and smoldering, so the fish cooks slowly, without having to watch. When the fish water is boiling, evenly absorbed, add one and a half cups of filtered water and cook until the fish is cooked, then season again and then turn off the stove. Do not overcook the fish, it is no longer crispy, but it is crushed. Add finely chopped scallions (or basil) and pepper to enhance the flavor and keep the stomach warm. Mom gently scooped up the broth and fish on a plate. Cut a piece of fresh lemon, mother squeezed it on the fish plate. The special braised dish there, without the sourness of the lemon is missing an important part. The basket of field vegetables picked by the father behind the dike was also placed on the dining table. The rice tray is simple but cozy. Always, after the word “invite the whole family to eat rice”, I quickly pick up the vegetables with chopsticks because I love raw vegetables. Wow, the vegetables, watercress and water need to be rolled up like a spring roll and then put into the chopsticks to dip the broth in the broth. How did the fat, slightly sour, and sweet leopard taste permeate the raw vegetables? Because this fish has many bones, it must be skillful in how to pick it up and know how to eat it to fully enjoy the delicious taste. Use a spoon or chopsticks to push the fish meat horizontally, the meat will drift along each fiber, leaving the fish skeleton intact. After eating this back side, turn over to the back side. Don’t forget to use the fish head, it’s very crunchy (but remember to leave out the two fisheye balls). Putting a piece of rice in my mouth with cod meat, I felt all sorts of flavors in the tip of my tongue – wanting to eat forever even though my stomach was full. Above all, the most delicious taste is the taste of the countryside, the sacred love of a mother for her family.