Vietnamese Fish with Turmeric and Dill

I am back from Vietnam.  It is nice to be home… great to go… great to come home.  What a lovely trip. I am a bit jet lagged but recovering.  It took 27 hours to get back, no wonder I feel a little off.

It was nice to see the Vietnamese people eat lots of vegetables which keeps them healthy.  It is a Communist country but they do not have free health care. The parents tell the children to eat vegetables so they don’t have to spend money in the doctors office. They usually have 50% of their meal as vegetables.  Also they don’t eat very many desserts or processed foods.  The population is not overweight.  In Saigon there was a KFC which I was unhappy to see.  The Vietnamese people love their food and culture so I hope they don’t start eating  too much of the fast food. Many people eat the fresh street food when not eating at home  You can see this street food in the picture.  There are places like this all over the country.

I am excited to start  making some of the recipes I enjoyed while traveling. Today’s fish dish I had in Hue which is in the middle of the country. It is a popular dish in Hanoi  but since Hue is centrally located they serve food from both the North and South.

It is a simple dish with complex flavors.  You may be surprised to see how much fresh dill is used. But trust in the process because it’s the plentiful dill and turmeric that makes this dish so special. In Vietnam it is made with Mackarel or Snakehead fish.  I decided to use scrod which looked nice and fresh at the market.  You can cook Chả Cá in several different ways. Either on a grill, underneath the broiler, or simply pan fry it in a cast iron pan or heavy bottom saute pan like I did. Be sure to get all the crispy brown bits onto your plate. It is packed full of yummy flavor.

Vietnamese Fish with Turmeric and Dill – Chả Cá Thăng Long

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan, Paleo                                    PRINT RECIPE

4 servings               

1 lb firm white fish, cut into 2 inch pieces
3 Tb Vietnamese fish sauce ( if you use Thai fish sauce use 2Tb)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tb garlic, minced
½ Tb fresh ginger, finely grated
2 Tb shallots, finely diced
1 Tb fresh dill leaves, chopped (for marinade)
¼ tsp black pepper
4 scallions, sliced into 2 inch lengths
1 small white onion, sliced
1 bunch of dill, leaves only, stems removed, coarsely chopped
3 Tb coconut oil or mild olive oil

• In a medium bowl, mix fish sauce, turmeric, garlic, ginger, shallots, dill leaves and black pepper.
• Add fish and mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hour.
• In a large skillet, heat 1 Tb of oil. Cook the white onions until lightly golden.
• Add 1/3 of the dill and ½ of the sliced scallions. Sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes.
• Put the onions, scallions and dill on a serving platter.
• Remove fish the refrigerator and scrape off the marinade. Using paper towels, pat off any excess liquids.
• Using the same skillet, heat the remaining oil to medium high. Pan fry the fish—about 3-4 minutes on each side until the fish is evenly browned.
• Plate the fish on top of the bed of cooked onions, scallions and dill. Top with the remaining fresh dill and scallions.
• Serve

I served it with sautéed spinach and garlic.  You could also have rice as they do in Vietnam.

Thanks for reading.  Let me know how you like it.