As promised, here's the recipe for another dish I learned on holiday: the easier-than-you-would-think-it-is caramelized fish stir fry!

Serves 4

Vietnamese caramelized fish stir fry

Vietnamese caramelized fish stir fry

What you need

  • Fresh seabass - 500 g sliced

  • Water

  • Sugar

  • Fish oil

  • Ground pepper

  • White onion - 1/2 an onion

  • Minced Thai chilli - 1, sliced into fine rings

  • Cashew oil (I couldn't find this, but the dish tasted fine without it, though it didn't have that lovely rich colour)

What you do

  1. Add a ladle of water to a large frying pan on medium heat

  2. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar into the water, and keep stirring until it caramelizes. This could take a while, so be patient, and don't be tempted to turn the heat up - you may burn your sugar!

  3. Turn the heat down to low once the sugar has caramelized, and add the fish slices, making sure each one touches the base of the pan.

  4. After about 30 seconds, turn the fish slices over, to caramelize the other side

  5. Add 4 tablespoons of fish oil, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2-3 teaspoons of ground pepper, the ground onion, and 2 tablespoons of cashew oil

  6. Turn the heat up to medium, gently mix in the ingredients, and allow the fish to cook, turning the pieces once in a while. Use chopsticks if you have a couple at hand to avoid breaking the fish when you turn it

  7. When the fish is almost done, add the Thai chilli, and mix in

  8. All done!

Serve hot with steamed rice. A nice side dish is the Vietnamese style lemongrass & chilli chicken.

Comment