“This is actually a new, old recipe. Back in college I had dinner at a couple of friends’ apartment and they served a whole pan-fried trout with some rice and an Asian sauce that I now know is a popular Vietnamese condiment called ‘Nước Chấm.’ The whole meal was at first way out of my comfort zone (they served the fish with the head on, which freaked this white girl out a bit), but I quickly started to enjoy it. I made note of the sauce ingredients so that I could make it again in the future. Now more than 20 years later, I have put together a whole meal inspired by that experience, but spruced up a bit with some extra flavors, including lemongrass, ginger and cilantro. I have to admit though, I still can’t bring myself to cook this with the head on!” – April Ferre
Vietnamese Pan-Fried Fish with Nước Chấm
Ingredients
For the Nước Chấm:
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce Or to Taste
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Water
- Sliced Bird’s Eye Chilies To Taste, Optional
For the Fish:
- 2 1 to 1 1/2 Pound Whole Fish
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
- Flour for Dredging
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
To Serve:
- Jasmine Rice with Lemongrass & Ginger Or Plain Jasmine Rice
- Cilantro
- Green Onions Sliced
Instructions
Make the Nước Chấm (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce):
- In a small bowl, combine lime juice, fish sauce, water and sugar. Whisk until well combined. Add some sliced chilies, if desired. Set aside.
- Note: The amount of fish sauce you use should be determined by taste as the strengths of different brands of fish sauce will differ.
Prepare the Fish:
- Clean fish and descale as necessary; remove head if desired. I like to use trout, which does not need to be descaled, but I do like to remove the head. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry.
- In a skillet, melt together butter and oil over medium heat.
- While the skillet is heating, season fish with salt and pepper inside and out. Dredge each fish in a light coating of flour.
- Place the fish in the hot skillet and cook for 5 minutes until fish is golden brown. Flip the fish, being careful not to break the skin. Cook another 5 minutes until golden.
To Serve:
- Serve fish immediately over a bed of rice. Top with cilantro and green onions.
- When ready to eat, pour over some of the Nước Chấm.
2025 Recipe – April Ferre