Fried Fish With Dill Recipe

(Ca Chien Thang Long)

This Vietnamese fried fish sings with complementary flavors and textures, and rates high marks. This recipe will serve four as part of a larger meal, but two will finish it without any problems.

Ingredients : Serves 4

450 g (1 lb)

1 tablespoon

1/2 teaspoon

2 tablespoons

4 tablespoons

Gravy

3

4 cloves

3

1 1/2 tablespoons

1 teaspoon

125 ml

2

30 g

2 tablespoons

50 g

Firm-fleshed fish fillet or steak

Fish sauce

Freshly ground black pepper

Plain flour for dredging

Oil

Shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

Garlic, peeled and minced

Large tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced

Fish sauce

Sugar

Cold water or chicken stock

Spring onions (scallions), cut into 2 1/2 cm (1 in) pieces

Chopped fresh dill

Chopped fresh coriander

Coarsely chopped unsalted roasted peanuts

• Place the fish fillets or steak in a large baking dish and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon fish sauce and the black pepper. Dredge the fish with flour, shaking off excess.

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and cook the fish until brown on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

• With about 2 tablespoon oil remaining in the pan, make the gravy by adding the shallots and garlic and stir-frying about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook 2 minutes more. Add the remaining fish sauce, sugar and the water, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes more.

• Add the spring onions, dill and fresh coriander, stirring to combine. Return the fish to the pan and stir to cover with the sauce and heat through. Remove from the heat and place on a serving platter. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve.