The fish is skewered and grilled whole without ever being scaled or gutted first — the charred skin is simply peeled away once it's cooked.
A whole snakehead fish is threaded lengthwise onto a bamboo stick and planted upright over a blazing pile of straw or rice husks until the outside chars black, then the burnt skin is peeled back to reveal moist, smoky flesh eaten wrapped in rice paper with herbs and dipped in tamarind or peanut sauce. It's a dish tied to the rhythms of the delta's rice fields, traditionally cooked right where the fish was caught.