Canh Chua Cá: Sour Fish Soup with Snapper, Tomato and Pineapple
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats and NYT Cooking.
A quick, bright canh chua with chunks of white fish, a cooked-down tomato base, tamarind and lime, pineapple and okra, topped with bean sprouts, spring onion and coriander.
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Method
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Equipment
- large saucepan (about 4 litres)
- sharp knife and board
- small bowl
- ladle
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 293 kcal |
| Protein | 29.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 26.1 g |
| of which sugars | 17.9 g |
| of which free sugars | 3.4 g |
| Fat | 8.8 g |
| of which saturates | 0.9 g |
| Fibre | 3.7 g |
| Salt | 1.86 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
9.9 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 4 servings
Fish
- 500 g skinless snapper or other firm white fish fillet, in 4 cm chunks
- 1 tsp fish sauce, for the fish
Base
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 ripe tomato, finely chopped, plus 2 more cut into wedges
Broth
- 1.1 l water
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste (concentrate-free pulp, sieved)
- 12 g sugar about 1 tbsp
- 1½ tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp lime juice
Vegetables
- 180 g fresh pineapple, in small wedges
- 6 okra pods, cut in thick pieces
To finish
- 100 g bean sprouts
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- 10 g coriander leaves
- 1
Prepare the fish. Toss the fish chunks with the 1 tsp fish sauce and set aside while you start the base.
- 2
Cook the base. Heat the oil in the saucepan over medium heat. Fry the shallots and garlic for 2 min until soft, add the chopped tomato and cook 4-5 min, pressing with the spoon, until it collapses into a thick red sauce.
- 3
Build the broth. Pour in the water, bring to the boil, then stir in the tamarind, sugar and the 1.5 tbsp fish sauce. Simmer 5 min.
- 4
Cook the vegetables. Add the pineapple and okra and simmer 3 min.
- 5
Poach the fish. Lower the heat so the broth barely bubbles. Add the fish and the tomato wedges and cook 4-5 min without stirring hard, until the fish is opaque and flakes (63 °C in the centre).
- 6
Finish. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust with a pinch of sugar or a little more lime.
- 7
Serve. Put bean sprouts in each bowl, ladle in the soup and scatter with spring onion and coriander. Eat with steamed rice.
Storage
Eat on the day. Leftovers keep 1 day in the fridge; reheat gently until steaming hot. Not suitable for freezing. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
