Vietnamese Fish with Fresh Tomato Sauce / Ca Chien Sot Chua Ngot
Oil for frying fish
1 striped bass or red snapper (about 2 pounds), trimmed and cleaned, scored on each side (or use fish fillets like cod or sea bass)
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 pickled scallions, sliced, and about a tablespoon of the pickling liquid (see note below)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons cornstarch, mixed with 1/3 cup homemade or store-bought chicken stock
1/4 cup scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
5 sprigs cilantro/coriander/Chinese parsley, cut into 2-inch pieces
Heat oil over moderate heat in a wok or large skillet. When hot (350°F), add fish carefully and fry, about 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through and skin has begun to crisp a bit (reduce cooking time if using fillets).
While fish is cooking, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil over moderate heat in a small saucepan. Add shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes and stir, about 1 minute. Add pickled scallions and its juice, fish sauce, sugar, and 2/3 of tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes. Give the cornstarch mixture a final stir and drizzle into the sauce, stirring, and continue to cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
When fish is cooked, remove and drain. Transfer to a serving platter. Add remaining tomatoes to sauce and reheat briefly. Pour or spoon over the fish, and sprinkle scallions and cilantro on top. Serve immediately.
An instant hit here! My only beef is with the chicken stock, which I think is unnecessary. I rather like the purity of flavor I get from Asian sauces that are made without stocks (or that are made with stocks from cooking the main ingredient itself) — the flavors of the aromatics and herbs tend to shine through better.
The pickled scallions (Vietnamese cu kieu) are available in Asian stores. If you don’t have a Vietnamese section, try the Korean and Japanese section instead.
Adapted from 
, written by the San Francisco restaurant owner and chef, Mai Pham, one of my favorite authorities on Vietnamese cuisine. If you get this book, you must make the goi cuon (recipe available on her website) — the sauce that goes with it is one of the best I’ve had. She’s also the author of 
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POSTED IN: Cookbooks, Seafood Dishes : Asian, Vietnamese
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