Bombay Duck
Bombay Duck
This has got to be one of the best fishes to scare people. Every resource I searched and looked up shows that it is a scary fish or it is best cooked in hot oil deep fried or reduced to a soft mush in spicy curry
I, on the other hand, is just interested in tasting the fish for its flavour. I heard that it is a fish that is great for making fish stock as it tends to be very oily. So no better way to cook this fish than to put it in the hot water boil.
Chop off the heads and snip off the fins and guts and the fish is ready to enter into the water bath. You may want to add some soya sauce into the soup if you want to drink it. But then again, you can do that later when you eat and reserve the rest as frozen fish stock.
Boil the water in a pot till it bubbles. Drop the fishes in and pour out the excess water. It should ideally cover the fishes about 1 inch above. Once it starts to bubble, turn the fire off and let it sit in the pot with the lid on for about ten minutes and then serve.
To eat it is to dip it in a sauce made up of lime juice, chilli padi and light soya sauce. To eat the fish is an art in itself. You are to suck the flesh out and spit the bones out. For me, I just swallow whole and spew the bones. You do what is comfortable for you.
The fish is light and surprisingly delicious when cooked simply. I hope you enjoy it too.
Bon Appetit!
Bombay Duck or “toing hur” in Teochew
Bombay Duck soup, cooked and harmless