Grilled Cumin Small Crucian Carp (Air Fryer)

Overview

After my dad retired and was bored at home, he went out fishing every day and often caught many small crucian carp. This kind of small fish is generally more fragrant when fried. Steamed or braised, there is no meat and there are too many fish bones, making it unpalatable. But it’s not good to eat fried fish regularly. It consumes too much oil and is not good for your health. So this time I grilled it and ate it. Unexpectedly, it was quite delicious!

Tags

• hot dishes
• home cooking
• preparing meals
• lunch
• dinner
• chili powder
• cooking wine
• cumin bbq ingredients
• edible oil
• small crucian carp
• salt

Ingredients

Steps

1. 1 Remove the gills of the small crucian carp and cut it open to remove the dirt in the belly. In particular, the black membrane in the belly must be scraped off and then washed.

   

2. 2 Add 1 tablespoon cooking wine to remove the fishy smell.

   

3. 3 Add half a teaspoon of salt. Then mix well and marinate for a few hours. This way, when grilled, the flavor will be all on the surface and there will be no flavor inside. Because it is marinated overnight, it does not require a lot of salt as it will be too salty.

   

4. 4 Before grilling the fish, rinse the marinated small crucian carp in water to wash away the remaining salt on the surface and the marinated mucus. Then add some cumin barbecue mix.

   

5. 5 Mix well and marinate for another ten minutes to half an hour. If there is no barbecue seasoning, it will be the same with allspice powder.

   

6. 6 Place a piece of foil in the air fryer basket to make cleaning easier. Brush a thin layer of oil on the surface of the tin foil, then shake off the excess water from the small crucian carp and lay it out. Bake at 180 degrees for 15 minutes. The temperature and time are for reference only, as fish vary in size and everyone’s machine is different.

   

7. 7 After 15 minutes, take out the frying basket, turn the small crucian carp over one by one, and bake for another 10 minutes.

   

8. 8 After 10 minutes, turn the small crucian carp over again. This time, brush a thin layer of oil on the surface of the fish body and sprinkle a little chili powder. Bake for another 3-5 minutes. The purpose of grilling this time is to dry out the surface of the fish body and add a little more flavor.

   

9. 9 Grill this side to your liking, and it's more delicious if the surface is half-charred. Then turn it over, brush with a thin layer of oil, sprinkle with a little chili powder, and bake for another 3-5 minutes until half-charred, and it's OK.