Vietnamese caramelized fish cooked in a clay pot, glazed in a reduced sauce of fish sauce, garlic, shallots, and black pepper. Serve bubbling hot with jasmine rice to soak up the dark, glossy juices.
Ingredients
- 700 g firm fish fillets
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 4 tbsp fish sauce
- 250 ml water
- 3 pieces shallots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- to taste fresh red chili
- 320 g jasmine rice
Method
- Pat the fish dry, then finely slice the shallots and garlic so they melt quickly into the sauce.
- Rinse the rice until the water is less cloudy, then cook covered until tender and fragrant; keep it warm.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven with the oil, add the sugar, and let it melt without stirring until it forms an amber-brown caramel, almost the color of light coffee.
- Add the shallots and garlic, and stir immediately: the caramel should bubble, smell highly fragrant, and coat the aromatics without burning.
- Pour in the fish sauce and then the water, scrape the bottom of the pot, and simmer until the caramel is completely dissolved into a dark sauce.
- Place the fish in the sauce, cover, and simmer gently until the flesh turns opaque and yields slightly under the pressure of a spoon.
- Carefully turn the pieces halfway through cooking to coat them, maintaining a gentle simmer so the flesh does not break apart.
- Uncover the pot and let reduce until the sauce becomes thick, glossy, and syrupy around the fish.
- Pepper generously, add the chili if desired, then baste the fish with the sauce until well glazed.
- Serve immediately with the hot jasmine rice, and spoon the caramelized sauce over each portion.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 508.8 kcal
- Protein
- 38.63 g
- Carbohydrate
- 71.97 g
- Fat
- 5.62 g
- Fibre
- 1.98 g
- Calcium
- 9.12 mg
- Iron
- 0.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 5.01 mg
