Rookie Pan
← All recipes
Vietnam, Asia · Canh Chua (Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Fish Soup)

Canh Chua with Fish-Bone Broth and Crispy-Skin Sea Bass

A restaurant-style canh chua: clear fish-bone and lemongrass broth balanced with tamarind and palm sugar, crowned with crisp-skinned pan-seared sea bass.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time55 min
DifficultyHard

Method

  1. Rinse the fish bones and heads under cold water to wash away blood, which causes a fishy taste. Put them in a 20 cm pot with the water, lemongrass bruised with the back of a knife, sliced ginger and halved shallots, and bring to the boil on high heat. Skim the foam carefully, then lower to medium-low heat and simmer uncovered for . A hard boil makes the broth cloudy.

    Add in this stepWhite fish bones and heads (gills removed) 400 gWater 1,100 mlLemongrass stalks 1Fresh ginger 8 gShallots 1

    high heat→medium-low heat

  2. Ladle a little hot broth over the tamarind, soak for , then mash and strain. Meanwhile cut the pineapple into bite-sized pieces, halve the tomatoes, slice the okra on the diagonal, peel the taro stem and cut it 1 cm thick on the diagonal, and chop the herbs and chilli.

    Add in this stepTamarind pulp or paste 2 tbsp

  3. Put part of the oil and the minced garlic in a small pan over medium-low heat and stir for until light golden, then tip into a bowl.

    Add in this stepVegetable oil ¾ tbspGarlic cloves 3

    medium-low heat

  4. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pot and discard the solids. Add the tamarind liquid, palm sugar, fish sauce and pineapple and simmer on medium heat for . Taste: sourness should lead, with sweetness and salt in support.

    Add in this stepPalm sugar (or light brown sugar) 2½ tspFish sauce 1½ tbspFresh pineapple 140 g

    medium heat

  5. Cut the fillets into 4–5 cm pieces, pat them completely dry, score the skin 2–3 times and salt them. Heat the rest of the oil in a 24 cm frying pan on medium-high heat, lay the fish in skin side down and press with a spatula for 10 seconds. Cook without moving for until the skin is golden and crisp, then flip for just 30 seconds. Work in batches if the pan is crowded. The centre can stay slightly underdone; it finishes in the hot broth.

    Add in this stepSea bass or sea bream fillets, skin on 280 gSalt 1 pinchVegetable oil 1¼ tbsp

    medium-high heat

  6. Add the tomatoes, okra and taro stem to the broth and cook on medium heat for , then add the bean sprouts and turn off the heat straight away.

    Add in this stepCherry tomatoes 8Okra 4Taro stem (bạc hà) or celery 100 gBean sprouts 80 g

    medium heat

  7. Ladle broth and vegetables into warmed bowls and place the fish on top, skin side up so it stays crisp. Check the fish is opaque all the way through, then finish with herbs, chilli and the garlic oil and serve at once.

    Add in this stepRice paddy herb and sawtooth herb (or coriander and Thai basil) 8 gBird's eye chilli 1

Cook's tip

Fishmongers will often give you bones and heads cheaply. Always remove the gills, which make the broth bitter. If the skin sticks, it isn't ready: wait a little longer and it will release by itself.

Cooking it at camp

Make and strain the broth at home and carry it in a flask or tub, so you only need to reheat it at camp. Sear the fish in a cast-iron pan; on a weak burner, heat the pan well and cook only two pieces at a time.