Cá Nướng Da Giòn

Double-broiled Catfish

1 medium live catfish (4 lbs)
1 T oyster sauce
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1/2 T honey
1/2 T melted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 T vegetable oil, salt, pepper
2 T green onion oil
1 T crisp fried shallot
1 T toasted peanut, crushed

Have the butcher clean you fish and remove all guts and gills. Clean off the black mud by pouring boiling water and scrubbing the fish's skin with the blade of a sharp knife. Clean under running water.
On a flat surface, hold the fish by the head and insert the blade point of a knife into the gill hole (where they cut to remove guts abd gills). Make a cut all the way to the belly along the length of the back bone, close but not into the rib case, run to the tail. Open the fish like a butterfly, skin side up. Make 2-3 slits each side of the fish wing (the filet parts). Rub oil, garlic, salt and pepper evenly on the fish. Put in oven, cover and broil under 500 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Mix oyster sauce + honey + egg + egg white + butter into a bowl. Use a brush to brush the mixture on the fish skin and put back in the broil, wait until dry, continue to brush until a thick golden surface is built. Brush on more butter if needed. Transfer the fish to an ovel dish, top with green onion oil, crisp-fried shallot, and toasted peanut.




To achieve crispy skin, you need to do three things–make vertical incisions about an inch or two apart just barely through the skin along the both sides of the fish–this relieves the tension on the skin when you roast–if you don’t do this, the skin will tear and rip.  The other key step is to use lots of honey.  Lather and bath the fish with lots of it to making the skin crispy and golden brown.  Finally, use a good nonstick roasting rack so that the fish is not swimming in it’s fatty juices.