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Amberjack is a sea fish loved by many for its pinkish-white, firm flesh, natural sweetness, and moderate fattiness. Not only highly nutritious, but amberjack is also very easy to prepare into many delicious dishes, perfect for family meals. So, what to cook with amberjack? In the following article, Ola Squid will suggest attractive and easy-to-make amberjack dishes at home, helping you fully experience the characteristic flavor of this fish.

1. What to cook with amberjack?

With its naturally sweet meat, moderate richness, and high nutritional value, amberjack is easy to turn into many delicious, flavorful dishes. Here is a list of dishes cooked from amberjack with relatively simple methods:

1.1. Braised amberjack with tomatoes

Ingredients for braised amberjack with tomatoes

• 500g amberjack
• 3 tomatoes, 2 chilies
• 2 cloves of garlic, 1 shallot
• 3 sprigs of green onions
• 2 tbsp rock sugar, 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp seasoning powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Steps to make braised amberjack with tomatoes:

• First, clean the purchased amberjack, cut it into bite-sized pieces, soak in diluted salt water, and then rinse and drain. Marinate the fish with seasoning powder and fish sauce for about 20 minutes to let the flavors penetrate.
• Wash the tomatoes, remove the seeds, and dice them. Mince the shallot and garlic. Crush the white part of the green onions and chop the leaves.
• Then, caramelize the rock sugar until it turns an amber color, then add the shallots, garlic, and green onion whites to sauté until fragrant. Next, add the tomatoes and stir-fry until soft and slightly thickened.
• Place the fish, chilies, the mixture of fish sauce, tomato paste, pepper, and some filtered water into the pot. Continue to braise over medium heat for about 30 minutes until the fish is soft and flavorful. Season to taste, sprinkle with green onions, and turn off the heat.

1.2. Braised amberjack with ginger

Ingredients:

• 300g amberjack fillet
• 1 ginger root, a little garlic
• 1 sprig of cilantro, 2 sprigs of green onions
• A few lemon slices
• 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp seasoning powder
• 1 tsp pepper, 1 tbsp sugar
• Half a tsp salt

How to make braised amberjack with ginger:

• Clean the amberjack, rub with salt and lemon to remove the fishy smell, rinse with water, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Peel the ginger, slice a portion thinly, and crush the rest with garlic to marinate the fish.
• Marinate the fish with the crushed ginger and garlic, fish sauce, salt, MSG, seasoning powder, sugar, and pepper. Mix well and leave for about 20 minutes for the fish to absorb the flavors.
• Put the fish in a pot with cooking oil and sliced ginger, then simmer over low heat until the fish is firm. Continue adding filtered water and caramel sauce, then braise until the fish is tender and the sauce thickens. Finally, sprinkle some green onions, cilantro, and pepper on top and turn off the heat.

See more: What to cook with red snapper? 10 nutritious red snapper dishes

1.3 Braised amberjack with pepper

Ingredients for braised amberjack with pepper

• 500g amberjack
• 3 cloves of garlic, 4 shallots
• 3 chilies, 30g green onions
• 300ml fresh coconut water, a little ground pepper
• 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ tbsp MSG, 1.5 tbsp braising caramel sauce

How to cook braised amberjack with pepper:

• Proceed to clean the guts and gills of the amberjack, rinse, and cut into bite-sized pieces so the fish doesn’t break apart when braising. Crush the shallots, garlic, and chilies to enhance the aroma. Cut the green onions into short segments.
• Then, marinate the fish with sugar, MSG, fish sauce, ground pepper, caramel sauce, and half of the crushed seasoning mixture. Mix well and let the fish marinate for about 15-20 minutes.
• Next, sauté the remaining seasonings with cooking oil, then add the fish and lightly flip both sides to firm up. Pour fresh coconut water into the pot, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and braise until the fish is cooked and the liquid thickens.
• Finally, re-season to taste, gently flip the fish to absorb the seasoning evenly. Sprinkle green onions and more ground pepper before turning off the heat.

1.4. Braised amberjack with pineapple

Ingredients for braised amberjack with pineapple

• 1 amberjack
• 1 pineapple
• 4 bird’s eye chilies, 1 horn chili
• 5 sprigs of green onions
• A little ground shallot, ground garlic
• 1 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp Korean chili powder
• 1/2 tsp MSG, 2 tbsp fish sauce

Instructions for cooking braised amberjack with pineapple:

• Clean the amberjack, scrape off the slime, remove the gills and guts, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Peel the pineapple, remove the eyes, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Leave the bird’s eye chilies whole or cut in half, slice the horn chili. Wash and chop the green onions.
• Next, heat oil in a pan, fry the fish quickly until the surface is golden and the meat is firm, then remove and drain.
• Sauté the shallots, garlic, and chilies with caramel sauce and add the pineapple to stir-fry quickly, then season with sugar, salt, MSG, pepper, chili powder, and fish sauce. Arrange the fish in the pan, turn gently to absorb the spices, add boiling water just covering the fish surface, then braise over low heat for about 10 minutes. Finally, turn off the heat, sprinkle with green onions and pepper.

1.5. Grilled amberjack with salt and chili

Ingredients for grilled amberjack with salt and chili

• 1 amberjack
• 3 cloves of garlic, 2 sprigs of lemongrass
• 7 shallots, 1 horn chili
• 2 tbsp cashew oil, 2 tbsp coarse salt
• 2 tsp chili sauce, 2 tsp fish sauce
• 1/4 tsp MSG, 1 tsp seasoning powder
• 1 tsp salt

How to make grilled amberjack with salt and chili

• First, clean the fish, remove the internal organs, rub salt on the body, then rinse. Then use a knife to score a diamond pattern on the body so the fish absorbs the spices when grilled.
• Mince shallots, garlic, lemongrass, and chili. Mix with cashew oil and 1 tsp of chili powder to create a spicy marinating mixture.
• Next, prepare a sauce with seasonings including salt, seasoning powder, MSG, fish sauce, chili sauce, and filtered water. Then roast the coarse salt with dried minced chili, sauté the garlic-chili mixture with the marinade to make it fragrant and rich.
• Light the charcoal, place the fish on the grill. Grill each side for about 10-15 minutes, brushing the marinade evenly so the fish absorbs the flavor. Continue grilling until the fish is golden brown and the sauce has thickened, total time about 30-40 minutes depending on the fish size. The grilled fish is firm, fragrant, sweet, and perfectly infused with spicy seasonings.

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1.6. Crispy fried amberjack

Required ingredients:

• 2 slices of amberjack (about 500g)
• 50ml cooking oil, 1/3 tsp salt
• 1 tsp MSG

How to make crispy fried amberjack

• First, rinse the amberjack with water, rub gently with salt to remove the fishy smell, rinse again and drain. Then marinate the fish with MSG and salt, leave for about 15-20 minutes for the seasoning to absorb.
• Next, put a pan on the stove, then add the fish and fry for the first 2 minutes over high heat to create a crispy crust. Then lower the heat to medium and fry all sides for about 10-15 minutes until the fish is golden and fragrant. Note: do not flip the fish constantly so it doesn’t break; wait until one side is golden before flipping.
• The fish is evenly golden, slightly crispy on the outside, and soft and sweet on the inside. You should enjoy it with spicy fish sauce or tamarind sauce to feel the full flavor.

1.7. Amberjack grilled in foil

Ingredients to prepare:

• 1 amberjack (about 1 kg)
• Green onions, garlic, chili, ginger, lemongrass
• Side vegetables: lettuce, herbs, pineapple, green mango, cucumber, rice paper
• 2 tbsp fish sauce, 4 tbsp Quang Ngai bean sauce
• 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp MSG

How to make amberjack grilled in foil

• Proceed to clean the fish, remove the guts, scales, fins, and tail. Soak the fish in diluted salt water to deodorize, then score 2-3 lines on the body to absorb seasoning faster.
• Wash lettuce and herbs. Peel pineapple, slice thinly, and slice green mango and cucumber. Julienne the ginger, cut green onions and lemongrass into segments, mince garlic and chili.
• Next, mix fish sauce, sugar, MSG, pepper, minced garlic, and Quang Ngai bean sauce. Rub the mixture evenly over the fish, scatter lemongrass, green onions, ginger, and chilies prepared and leave to marinate for about 10 minutes.
• Then place the fish on foil and fold both sides tightly, grill over charcoal for 15 minutes each side until the fish is cooked through. The grilled fish is fragrant, the meat is sweet and infused with spices, served with vermicelli, rice paper, raw vegetables, pineapple, green mango, cucumber, and dipped in seasoned fish sauce to enhance the flavor.

1.8. Steamed amberjack with soy sauce

Ingredients for steamed amberjack with soy sauce

• 1 amberjack (about 700g)
• 1 ginger root, 10g minced garlic
• Diluted tea water
• 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp seasoning powder, 1/2 tsp MSG
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice wine

How to make steamed amberjack with soy sauce

• Clean the guts, gills, and fins of the fish, remove the head and tail, butterfly the belly but keep the back connected. Soak the fish in diluted tea water for 15 minutes to reduce the fishy smell, then rinse and drain. Peel the ginger and cut into thin julienne.
• Rub seasoning powder, sugar, MSG, and sesame oil onto the fish body, then marinate for about 15 minutes to absorb.
• Next, sauté minced garlic with cooking oil until golden brown, add soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine, bring to a boil for about 2 minutes then turn off the heat.
• Then place the fish on a plate, scatter ginger on top, steam for 15 minutes. Pour the soy sauce over the fish, steam for another 15 minutes until the fish is cooked through and flavorful. Finally, present the fish on a plate, decorate with a few slices of chili or broccoli. The steamed fish with soy sauce has a naturally sweet taste, fragrant with ginger and rich from the soy sauce, suitable for family meals.

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1.9 Steamed amberjack with ginger

Ingredients for steamed amberjack with ginger

• 300g amberjack
• 10g ginger
• 1 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tsp sugar
• Seasoning powder, dill, soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili, garlic, lemon

Instructions for processing steamed amberjack with ginger as follows:

• Clean the fish, score diagonal lines on the back, marinate with salt and white wine to reduce fishy smell, then drain. Then prepare the dipping sauce by mixing sugar with fish sauce, adding minced garlic and ginger, and lemon juice, stir well.
• Next, place the fish on a deep plate, scatter ginger and onions on the fish surface. Season with powder, dill, and other spices to taste and steam for about 10-15 minutes until the fish is cooked.
• Finally, serve the fish on a plate and enjoy with the dipping sauce while it’s still hot. The steamed amberjack with ginger has sweet, rich meat, fragrant with ginger and highly nutritious.

1.10. Amberjack soup with tomatoes and celery

Required ingredients:

• 1 amberjack
• 2 tomatoes, 100g pineapple
• 100g celery, some green onions
• 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1.5 tsp seasoning powder
• 2 tsp sugar, some oil and salt
• Minced garlic and shallots

How to process amberjack soup with tomatoes and celery:

• First, clean the amberjack, remove gills, fins, and slime. Rinse the fish with diluted salt water then rinse with clean water, cut into bite-sized segments.
• Cut tomatoes into wedges and pineapple into fan shapes. Cut green onions and celery into segments, mince the green onion whites. Then take a pan, add some oil and lightly fry the fish to firm up the meat.
• Next, sauté minced shallots with oil, stir for about 1 minute, add 1 liter of filtered water. When the water boils, add the fish and tomatoes to cook. Season with sugar, seasoning powder, and fish sauce to taste, then add celery and green onions, stir and turn off the heat.
• Finally, pour the soup into a bowl and decorate with a few slices of chili. The amberjack soup is soft and rich, the broth is sweet and refreshing, fragrant with pineapple and herbs, delicious served with hot rice.

1.11. Amberjack in tomato sauce

Ingredients for amberjack in tomato sauce

• 300g (1 medium fish)
• 2 tomatoes, 1 chili
• 2 shallots, some green onions
• 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp MSG, 4 tbsp cooking oil

How to process amberjack in tomato sauce as follows:

• Clean the gills, cut fins, scrape off fish slime, rinse with diluted salt water, then cut into segments about 1 finger thick. Mince tomatoes, slice shallots thinly. Cut green onions into bite-sized segments and slice chili diagonally.
• Heat oil in a pan, fry the fish for 5-7 minutes until golden on both sides, then remove to a plate.
• Next, use the fish frying oil, sauté half of the green onions until fragrant, add tomatoes to stir-fry until soft and turns into a sauce. Put the fish in to cook over low heat for 3–5 minutes. Then mix fish sauce, sugar, and MSG with half a cup of cold water and pour into the pot. Continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes and occasionally spoon the sauce over the fish to absorb evenly.
• When the sauce thickens, sprinkle the remaining green onions and chilies on top. The amberjack in tomato sauce is sweet and sour, with a fragrance of the sea.

1.12. Amberjack fish noodles

Ingredients to prepare:

• 2 amberjack
• 2kg fresh rice vermicelli
• 100g pineapple, chili, garlic, ginger
• Carrot, white radish, onion, tomato
• Herbs: cilantro, mint
• 1 tbsp sugar, ½ tsp ground pepper
• 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp MSG
• 6 tbsp cooking oil, 2 tbsp fish sauce

Instructions for cooking amberjack fish noodles as follows:

• Clean the amberjack’s guts, gills, fins, scrape off slime and rinse thoroughly then cut into pieces about 1 finger thick. Peel carrots, white radish, and onion, wash and cut into bite-sized pieces. Clean herbs, rinse and drain. Slice pineapple and tomatoes into thick enough pieces to retain sweetness.
• Next, mix the fish with salt, sugar, MSG, ground pepper, and sliced chilies, marinate for about 10 minutes to absorb seasoning.
• Then boil 1.5 liters of water in a pot, season with salt and sugar. Add carrots, white radish, and onion, cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are almost soft then turn off the heat.
• Sauté garlic in hot oil, add tomatoes and pineapple to stir-fry for about 3 minutes. In another pan, also sauté garlic with oil until fragrant, then fry the fish on both sides until golden.
• Next, add fried fish, stir-fried pineapple, and a few slices of ginger into the pot of vegetable broth, simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes for the ingredients to blend. Season with more fish sauce to taste.
• Finally, put vermicelli into a bowl, add fish and pour hot broth over. You can decorate with some herbs and a few slices of chili to make the dish more attractive.

See more: What to cook with sailfish? Summary of easy-to-prepare dishes

1.13. Amberjack sour soup

Required ingredients:

• 1 amberjack
• 2 tomatoes, 3 lemons
• 500g bean sprouts, 50g pineapple
• 20g elephant ear stalk, 50g okra
• Some basil, culantro
• Some fried garlic, salt

How to cook amberjack sour soup

• Clean the amberjack, remove gills and internal organs, then rinse with diluted salt water and cut into bite-sized segments.
• Wash vegetables and soak in diluted salt water then drain. Peel pineapple, remove eyes and cut into small pieces. Cut okra and elephant ear stalk diagonally, tomatoes into wedges, and chop herbs.
• Boil about 500ml water, add pineapple first to create a sweet and sour flavor. When water boils, drop the fish in and cook for about 5 minutes. Continue adding tomatoes, okra, elephant ear stalk, and bean sprouts to cook for another 2 minutes then season to taste. Finally, add herbs and fried garlic, then turn off the heat.

1.14. Amberjack soup with tomatoes and celery (Recipe 2)

Ingredients:

• 500g amberjack
• 1 white radish, 4 tomatoes
• 2 sprigs of green onions, bird’s eye chili
• Celery
• 2 tbsp cooking oil, 2 tsp ground pepper
• 3 tbsp chicken seasoning powder, ½ tbsp salt

How to cook amberjack soup as follows:

• Peel white radish, cut into bite-sized segments. Wash tomatoes and slice into wedges. Wash celery and cut into short segments. Wash green onions and chili, crush or blend a portion to marinate the fish.
• Clean amberjack, cut into segments then marinate with chicken seasoning, cooking oil, ground pepper, and the onion-chili mixture. Then mix well and leave for about 15 minutes for the fish to absorb seasonings.
• Boil about 400ml water, add white radish to cook until soft. Next, add the fish and wait for water to boil again then add tomatoes and season to taste. Then cook for a few more minutes until the fish is cooked, add celery then turn off the heat.

1.15 Snow-covered amberjack

Ingredients for snow-covered amberjack

• 300g amberjack
• 20g dried shrimp
• Roasted sticky rice, peeled mung beans
• 10 shrimp crackers
• Horn chili, piper lolot leaves, lemongrass
• Dry crispy frying flour
• 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp pepper

How to process snow-covered amberjack:

• Cut amberjack into square pieces, marinate with pepper and lemon juice to deodorize. Then roll the fish through a layer of frying flour. Grind roasted sticky rice, mung beans, and dried shrimp into a fine powder, mix well to make the coating mixture.
• Then heat oil, fry shrimp crackers until crispy then crush them. Next, flash-fry piper lolot leaves and lemongrass, then fry the fish until golden brown and crispy, remove and drain oil. While the fish is still hot, place in a bowl with the roasted powder mixture, shake well so the powder clings around the fish.
• Finally, arrange the fried lemongrass and piper lolot leaves on a plate, place the fish on top, sprinkle crushed shrimp crackers to create an eye-catching snow layer. Serve with raw vegetables and mayonnaise or chili sauce.

See more: What to cook with dried anchovies? 10+ ways to process delicious dried anchovies

2. Health benefits of amberjack

Amberjack is a sea fish rich in nutritional value, favored by many families for its firm meat, natural sweetness, and high nutrient content:

• Good for cardiovascular health: Amberjack is rich in omega-3 and unsaturated fats, helping to reduce bad cholesterol, limit atherosclerosis, and support the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and strokes.
• Enhance the immune system: Minerals such as zinc and selenium help increase resistance, support anti-inflammation, and protect the body from many illnesses.
• Boost brain function: Omega-3 supports improved memory, increased concentration, and contributes to brain development, particularly good for children and the elderly.
• Support strong bones and joints: Vitamin D in amberjack helps the body absorb calcium better, preventing osteoporosis and joint problems.
• Skin beauty and anti-aging: Vitamin A and E content helps nourish healthy skin, increase elasticity, slow down the aging process, and reduce signs like wrinkles and freckles.
• Support weight control: Amberjack is high in protein and low in bad fats, creating a feeling of fullness for longer, suitable for a healthy diet and scientific weight loss.

3. Guide to choosing delicious amberjack

Here are some signs of fresh amberjack that you should not miss when choosing to buy:

• Observe the skin and scales: You should prioritize fish with bright skin, firmly attached scales, a naturally glossy surface, not peeling or dull.
• Check eyes and gills: The eyes should be clear and bright, not cloudy or sunken, and the gills should be pinkish-red, fresh, and without slime.
• Check the smell: Fresh amberjack has a light, pleasant sea smell; avoid choosing fish with a strong fishy or strange sour smell.
• Test elasticity: Use your hand to lightly press the fish body; if the meat is firm and quickly returns to its original state, the fish is fresh.
• Choose medium size: You should choose medium-sized amberjack to ensure the meat is soft, sweet, and more nutritious than oversized fish.

Through the suggested amberjack recipes shared above, we hope to have answered the question “what to cook with amberjack?” as well as provided more ideas for your family menu. If you are also a fan of specialty seafood, don’t miss our premium whole dried squid for a tasty treat. To discover more articles and useful culinary knowledge, including tips on choosing fresh seafood, don’t forget to visit the Ola Squid Blog right now!