Tiếng Việt
ไทยWhen mentioning cobia, many people immediately remember the chewy white flesh, sweet taste, and characteristic light fattiness that few sea fish possess. Thanks to its firm meat structure, lack of mushiness, and very few small bones, cobia has become an ideal choice for many braised, grilled, soup, and fried dishes. Many people are wondering “What is delicious to make with cobia?”, or “Which dish should I choose to suit my family’s taste?”.
This article from Ola Squid will help you completely resolve this dilemma, with 9 carefully selected cooking recipes, clear measurements, and detailed instructions so you can succeed on your first try.
What is delicious to make with cobia?
It is no exaggeration to say that cobia dishes are suitable for all three regions: North, Central, and South of Vietnam. The balance between fattiness and sweetness allows cobia to “transform” into many different preparation methods. Whether you like the rich flavor of braised dishes, the refreshing taste of soup, or the firm chewiness of grilled dishes, cobia performs perfectly.
Below is the first dish in the list of the 9 best and easiest dishes to make.
Cobia braised with pepper
Cobia braised with pepper is a traditional braised dish with a rich, aromatic flavor of ground pepper mixed with the natural sweetness of the fish. When braised over low heat for a long time, the fish fillets firm up and absorb the spices evenly, creating a very appetising dish. In particular, the characteristic chewiness of cobia makes the braised dish not mushy like braised mackerel or scad.
Ingredients:
- Cobia cut into pieces: 600g
- Ground pepper: 1.5 teaspoons
- Delicious fish sauce: 2 tablespoons
- Brown sugar: 1 tablespoon
- Minced garlic: 1 teaspoon
- Minced shallots: 1 teaspoon
- Cooking oil: 1 tablespoon
- Caramel sauce: 1 teaspoon
- Chili peppers: 2 peppers
- Filtered water: 150ml
How to make:
- Wash the cobia with diluted salt water and drain.
- Marinate the fish with fish sauce, sugar, ground pepper, garlic, shallots, and caramel sauce for 20 minutes.
- Heat the pot, add cooking oil, then arrange the fish to braise over high heat for 3 minutes to firm the surface.
- Pour 150ml of filtered water in to cover the fish.
- Braise over low heat for 25–30 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Add more ground pepper before turning off the heat to increase the aroma.
This dish is excellent when eaten with white rice or scorched rice.
Cobia braised with pineapple
If you are looking for a dish regarding what is delicious to cook with cobia that has a harmonious sweet and sour taste, cobia braised with pineapple is definitely a great choice. Pineapple, when braised with fish, releases a light sour taste, helping to deodorize fishiness while creating sweetness and softness, making the pot of braised fish extremely attractive. This dish is especially suitable for people who like rich flavors but not too spicy.
Ingredients:
- Cobia cut into slices: 500–700g
- Pineapple: ½ fruit, cut into pieces
- Fish sauce: 2 tablespoons
- Sugar: 1 tablespoon
- Crushed garlic: 2 cloves
- Peppercorns: 1 teaspoon
- Green onions: 1 branch
- Cooking oil: 1 tablespoon
- Filtered water: 120ml
How to make:
- Marinate the fish with fish sauce, sugar, pepper, and garlic for 15 minutes.
- Sauté garlic in oil until fragrant, add pineapple and stir-fry briefly.
- Add the marinated fish to the pot, stir gently to let it absorb.
- Add filtered water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Braise for about 25 minutes until the water thickens and the fish absorbs the flavor.
- Sprinkle with green onions and pepper before serving.
This dish is a great companion for rice because the slight sourness of the pineapple helps balance the braised dish perfectly.
See more: What is delicious to make with Hemibagrus? 12 rich Hemibagrus dishes that everyone loves
Cobia braised with lemongrass and chili
Cobia braised with lemongrass and chili is a dish with a strong Central Vietnamese culinary style with an irresistible spiciness, aroma, and saltiness. When the lemongrass is fried until golden, the fragrance spreads and blends into the fish meat, creating a rich braised dish that is not greasy. This is the number 1 choice for those who like spicy braised dishes or want to effectively deodorize fishiness.
Ingredients:
- Cobia: 600g
- Minced lemongrass: 3 tablespoons
- Minced chili: 1 tablespoon
- Fish sauce: 2 tablespoons
- Sugar: 1 teaspoon
- Cooking oil: 1 tablespoon
- Shallots: 1 teaspoon
- Ground pepper: 1 teaspoon
- Filtered water: 120ml
How to make:
- Marinate the fish with fish sauce, sugar, and pepper for 15 minutes.
- Sauté lemongrass, chili, and shallots until golden and fragrant.
- Add the fish, flip gently so the fish firms up.
- Add filtered water to the pot, bring to a boil, then lower the heat.
- Braise for 20–25 minutes until the water is thick and heavy.
- Season again to taste and add more pepper if you like it spicy.
Cobia braised with pickled mustard greens
If you are wondering “What is delicious to make with cobia” then cobia braised with pickled greens is an attractive choice. The dish has a mild sour taste mixed with a little fatty sweetness of the fish meat, blended with the characteristic aroma of pickled greens. This is an extremely appetising braised dish, especially on cold days when the flavor becomes even richer. The texture of cobia is naturally firm, fatty, and almost never becomes mushy, making it very suitable for acidic braised dishes like pickled greens.
Ingredients (for 4 people):
- Cobia: 600g (choose the body or top-back sections)
- Pickled mustard greens: 200g
- Tomatoes: 2 fruits
- Green onions: 3 branches
- Garlic: 4 cloves
- Fresh chili: 1-2 peppers
- Sugar: 1 teaspoon
- Fish sauce: 2 tablespoons
- Ground pepper: ½ teaspoon
- Cooking oil: 2 tablespoons
How to make:
- Clean the cobia with diluted salt water and cut into 3-4cm square pieces. Drain.
- Sauté garlic until fragrant, add tomatoes and stir-fry until soft, then add pickled greens and stir well.
- Add the cobia, season with fish sauce, sugar, pepper, and fresh chili. Stir gently to let the fish absorb the flavor.
- Pour in 150ml of water, braise over low heat for 20–25 minutes. When the sauce thickens, sprinkle with green onions and turn off the heat.
- This dish served with hot white rice is the definition of a “pot-emptier.”
>>>Refer to more: What to cook with Barramundi? 14 irresistibly delicious Barramundi dishes
Cobia braised with pork
In the list of cobia dishes, the braised version with pork is a variation well worth trying. Combining fatty, aromatic fish meat with pork belly creates a shiny, thick braising liquid with a balanced salty and sweet taste that is extremely appetising. This is a particularly suitable dish for children because the fatty taste is easy to eat, not as intense as spicy braised dishes.
Ingredients (for 4 people):
- Cobia: 500g
- Pork belly: 200g
- Shallots: 3 bulbs
- Fish sauce: 2 tablespoons
- Sugar: 1.5 tablespoons
- Ground pepper: ½ teaspoon
- Chili: 1 pepper
- Cooking oil: 1 tablespoon
How to make:
- Cut the cobia into bite-sized pieces. Slice the pork belly thinly.
- Make caramel sauce: Put sugar in the pot, cook until it turns a cockroach-wing brown color, then add cooking oil and shallots.
- Add pork belly and stir until firm, then add cobia. Season with fish sauce, pepper, and chili.
- Pour in 120ml of boiling water, braise over low heat for 20 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens.
The aroma of pork combined with cobia meat makes this braised dish extremely attractive.
See more: What is delicious to make with Tuna? 13 delicious tuna recipes to make at home
Cobia soup cooked with bamboo shoots
If you love the crunchy sourness of bamboo shoots, this is definitely a dish you should try. Cobia soup cooked with bamboo shoots converges three elements: refreshing, crunchy, and sweet. The clear soup with a mild aroma is extremely suitable for summer meals.
Ingredients (for 4 people):
- Cobia: 500–600g
- Sour bamboo shoots: 200g
- Green onions: 3 branches
- Minced garlic: 1 teaspoon
- Fresh chili: 1 pepper
- Salt: ½ teaspoon
- Fish sauce: 1 tablespoon
- Sugar: ½ teaspoon
- Cooking oil: 1 tablespoon
How to make:
- Wash the fish and drain. Wash the sour bamboo shoots with water.
- Sauté garlic until fragrant, then add bamboo shoots and stir-fry for 3 minutes.
- Pour in 1.5 liters of water and bring to a boil.
- Add cobia, season with salt, sugar, and fish sauce.
- Cook for 15 minutes, then add green onions and chili.
The soup is flavorful, with the aroma of bamboo shoots but not harsh, suitable for the whole family from small children to adults.
>>Read more: What is delicious to make with Tuna? Simple tuna processing methods at home
Grilled cobia with chili salt
A richer version of the traditional grilled dish. Lightly spicy, salty, and extremely stimulating to the taste buds.
Ingredients:
- Cobia fillet: 500–700g
- Minced chili: 1 tablespoon
- Crushed sea salt: 1 tablespoon
- Cooking oil: 1.5 tablespoons
- Garlic: 1 bulb
How to make:
- Mix salt, chili, garlic, and cooking oil into a thick paste.
- Cover the cobia evenly and marinate for at least 25 minutes.
- Grill over charcoal or in an oven at 200°C for 15 minutes.
- It’s ready when the fish is aromatic and slightly charred at the edges.
This dish is very suitable for eating with Vietnamese coriander and green chili salt.
Sour cobia soup
A “national” dish in the list of what is delicious to cook with cobia. Delicious from the color to the flavor.
Ingredients:
- Cobia: 500–700g
- Pineapple: ½ fruit
- Tomatoes: 2 fruits
- Tamarind: 20g
- Elephant ear stalks (Bac ha): 100g
- Okra: 5 fruits
- Bean sprouts: 100g
- Herbs: Rice paddy herb, sawtooth herb
- Basic seasonings
How to make:
- Prepare the fish. Wash clean.
- Cook tamarind water, filter to get the juice.
- Sauté tomatoes and pineapple then pour in water.
- When water boils, add fish and cook for 10 minutes.
- Finally, add okra, elephant ear stalks, bean sprouts, and herbs.
The soup has a mild sour taste and natural sweetness from the fish.
Crispy fried cobia
A dish that is easy to make, easy to eat, and suitable for all ages.
Ingredients:
- Cobia fillet: 500g
- Crispy frying flour: 150g
- Salt: ½ teaspoon
- Pepper: ½ teaspoon
- Cooking oil for frying
How to make:
- Cut the fish into 2-3cm long pieces.
- Mix salt and pepper to marinate for 10 minutes.
- Roll the fish through the frying flour.
- Deep fry until golden brown.
Crispy on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside, perfect for a snack or with rice.
Distinguishing cobia and rabbitfish
| Criteria | Cobia | Rabbitfish |
|---|---|---|
| General shape | Long body, diamond-shaped | Short body, round, slightly flattened |
| Size | Small and large: from 0.5-5kg | Smaller: 0.5-1kg |
| Color, pattern | Dark brown back, with 2 black stripes along the body | Body has large brown spots or camouflage patterns |
| Head, mouth | Slender head, large mouth | Small head, small mouth |
| Fins | Pectoral and dorsal fins are long and strong | Dorsal fin high, slightly sharp; fan-shaped tail |
| Meat texture | Thick, white, chewy, high elasticity | Soft, naturally fatty, easily mushy when braised |
| Taste | Richly sweet, slightly fatty, less fishy | 清甜, mildly fragrant |
| Suitable processing | Braised with pepper, braised with pineapple, grilled with chili salt, fried, hot pot | Plain grilled, grilled in foil, sour soup |
| Features when cooking | Does not break apart when braised for a long time | Easily becomes mushy when braised, better for soup dishes |
| Nutritional value | Rich in protein, omega-3, omega-6, DHA, EPA | Rich in protein but fat and minerals are lower |
| General application | Rich flavored dishes, dishes needing firm meat | Light dishes, few seasonings, suitable for families |
>>See more: What to cook with Rabbitfish? Top 13 super easy Rabbitfish recipes
How much does cobia cost?
After knowing what is delicious to make with cobia, the next question many people are interested in is the price. The current market provides cobia mainly in two forms: fresh live cobia and cobia fillets. Prices can fluctuate depending on the season, size, and origin (cage-raised or wild-caught).
Price of fresh live cobia:
- Cobia type 2-4kg/fish: about 230,000 – 320,000 VND/kg
- Cobia type 5-10kg/fish: 300,000 – 380,000 VND/kg
- Wild cobia, size larger than 10kg: price can be over 400,000 VND/kg. The larger the fish, the thicker, firmer, and sweeter the meat, very suitable for grilled or richly braised dishes.
Price of cobia fillet:
- Fresh cobia fillet: 380,000 – 450,000 VND/kg
- Vacuum-sealed tray fillet: 400,000 – 500,000 VND/kg
Fillets are more convenient, easy to prepare crispy fried dishes, grilled with chili salt, or sour soup.
Factors affecting cobia price:
- Exploitation season: when in season, prices usually decrease slightly.
- Origin: cage-raised fish are usually cheaper than wild-caught fish.
- Freshness: the price for live swimming fish is always higher than for pre-processed fish.
- Size: large fish are expensive, but the meat is tastier and has fewer small bones.
With its characteristic fatty-sweet flavor and firm chewiness that few other fish have, cobia is truly an ideal ingredient for countless delicious daily dishes. From rich braised dishes and fragrant grilled dishes to refreshing soups, cobia brings a complete experience and easily satisfies the tastes of all family members.
We hope that with the 9 suggestions in this article, you no longer have to wonder “what is delicious to make with cobia” every time you enter the kitchen. If you want to explore more seafood recipes or find premium dried seafood products for your family, feel free to visit our shop or follow Ola Squid to find many more delicious and easy-to-make dishes for your home meals.
