Vietnamese · Lunch · Dinner
Vietnamese Caramelized Fish in Clay Pot
Cá kho tộ
Tender catfish steaks braised in a glossy, peppery caramel and fish sauce glaze with shallots, garlic and chili. Served with nutty brown rice, it is a deeply savoury Vietnamese home classic with less oil and sugar.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 46% · Fat 27% · Protein 27%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 4 steaks (about 600 g)catfish steaks, skin on
- 2 tbsp36 gfish sauce
- 2 tbsp25 ggranulated sugar
- 2 tbsp30 gwater (for caramel)
- 1/2 cup120 gunsweetened coconut water
- 1/2 cup120 gwater (for braising)
- 3 medium60 gshallots, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves12 ggarlic, minced
- 1 tspground black pepper
- 2 tsp9 gvegetable oil
- 2 smallbird's eye chilies, sliced (optional)
- 3 stalks45 gspring onions, sliced
- 1 cup185 glong-grain brown rice
- 2 1/2 cups600 gwater (for rice)
Steps
- 1
Rinse the brown rice, put it in a pot with the 2 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil.
- 2
Cover, lower the heat and simmer the rice for about 40 minutes until tender, then rest it covered off the heat.
- 3
Pat the catfish steaks dry with paper towel.
- 4
In a bowl, coat the fish with half the fish sauce, half the black pepper, half the shallots and half the garlic, and marinate for 15 minutes.
- 5
Put the sugar and the 2 tbsp water in a clay pot or heavy small saucepan over medium heat.
- 6
Cook without stirring, swirling the pan, for 4-5 minutes until the caramel turns deep amber.
- 7
Carefully add the oil and remaining shallots and garlic, and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 8
Lay the fish in the pot in one layer and pour over the marinade, the remaining fish sauce, the coconut water and the 1/2 cup braising water.
- 9
Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- 10
Turn the fish, then simmer uncovered for 12-15 minutes, spooning the sauce over, until it reduces to a dark, sticky glaze.
- 11
Check the fish flakes easily and reaches 63 °C / 145 °F in the thickest part.
- 12
Scatter over the spring onions, chilies (if using) and the remaining black pepper.
- 13
Serve hot with the brown rice.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use salmon, cod or mackerel steaks instead of catfish if catfish is hard to find, shortening the braising time slightly for thinner pieces.
- Replace the coconut water with plain water or low-sodium chicken stock if you don't have it on hand.
- Swap the brown rice for white jasmine rice, which cooks in about 15 to 18 minutes.
- Use coconut sugar or light brown sugar instead of granulated sugar for the caramel, watching it closely since it darkens faster.
Storage
Refrigerate leftover fish and sauce in an airtight container within 2 hours and eat within 3 days, reheating gently until steaming hot; the rice should also be chilled within 2 hours and reheated until steaming. Freezing is not recommended, as the fish texture suffers.
Make ahead
Cook the brown rice up to 3 days ahead and keep it chilled, and slice the shallots, garlic and spring onions a day ahead and store them covered in the fridge. The braised fish is best cooked shortly before serving.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: Fish
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (461 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 421 kcal | 91 kcal |
| Protein | 27.6 g | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 47.8 g | 10.4 g |
| of which sugars | 9.5 g | 2.1 g |
| Fiber | 2.6 g | 0.6 g |
| Fat | 12.7 g | 2.8 g |
| of which saturated | 2.4 g | 0.5 g |
| Sodium | 875 mg | 190 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
