Caramelized Garlic Fish
Mild white fish becomes deeply savory in this quick one-pot meal inspired by cá kho tộ, which the chef Mai Pham described as the “one dish that best represents Vietnamese home cooking” in her 2001 cookbook “Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table” (HarperCollins). Originally from the south of the country, the dish of freshwater snakehead fish (cá lóc) is braised (kho) in a claypot (tộ) with a blend of sugar melted to a dark brown, garlic and fish sauce. Sometimes known as nước sốt (or kho sauce in English), there are countless variations in Vietnam and its diaspora. The sauce is fantastic with tofu, chicken, beef, pork, duck and all kinds of vegetables and seafood. Just make sure you have plenty of rice to soak it up.
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon hot water
1 tablespoon grapeseed, canola or other neutral-flavored oil
3 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 pound cod, catfish or other flaky white fish fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
A small handful of cilantro leaves and tender stems, coarsely chopped
Steamed rice, for serving
Put the sugar in a large saucepan and crush any clumps. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon water over the sugar to dampen it and set over medium heat. Cook without stirring until the sugar melts to a dark gold, swirling the pan if needed to evenly brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the oil and garlic, and cook, stirring, until the garlic is evenly coated and just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the fish sauce and remaining 2 tablespoons water, and cook, stirring, until any sugar clumps dissolve and the sauce bubbles.
Add the fish in a single layer, reduce the heat to medium-low and partly cover. Cook, turning once, until just opaque on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Uncover and continue simmering until the fish is just opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes more.
Remove from the heat, generously grind black pepper all over and top with cilantro. If the fish hasn’t already flaked apart, gently nudge it into smaller pieces to soak up all the sauce and serve immediately over rice or noodles.
TIP: Using 1 tsp vinegar instead of water (Step 1) allows caramelization much faster (at lower temperature). Harold McGee, in "On Food & Cooking" notes that acid pH catalyzes hydrolysis of sucrose into glucose and fructose. It then helps convert glucose to fructose. Fructose caramelizes at 105-110 C (water boils at 100C), while sucrose requires 160-170C, enough to burn you seriously if a drop lands on you.
NB: Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce) uses vinegar (+fish sauce, sugar, chile & garlic)_
El Cheapo white vinegar works fine- but use whatever you like.
This is an easy way to make caramel in general, without worrying about burning. The caramel masks the tiny amount of acid (which adds pleasant complexity).
Adding extra red-wine vinegar to caramel (to taste, but leave it slightly syrupy) while still hot yields a decent ersatz Balsamic. Harold McGee points out that "Protected Designation of Origin" balsamic, aged in oak barrels till syrupy through evaporation, costs $100+ for 100 ml.
Followed the recipe, kept an eye on the sugar darkening but it turned out terrific! Used snapper, but would have really stood up to a thicker cut of fish. And it was done in 20 minutes just like she said. This will be a regular.
When I use frozen fish, I do thaw it first. If I have time, I lay it on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels on a plate in the refrigerator to slow-thaw and to soak up excess liquid. I buy individually quick frozen fillets and when I'm in a rush, I put those well-sealed packets in a bowl of cold water to thaw. Cod is usually ready in 10 minutes or so. You can cook from frozen, but the sauce will end up more watery and the fish may end up unevenly cooked. Happy cooking!
