Huy Vu Updated 3/31/21 Jump to Recipe
The tộ incá kho tộ refers to the clay pot this dish is traditionally prepared in. I don’t have any spare clay potson hand and I bet most of you aren’t going to have it either so we’re going to cheat a bit and make this in a good ol’ fashioned non-stick pan.
Mom’s old restaurant served cá khoin a clay pot, but she admitted to meit wasactually cooked in a pan and just transferred into the pot. The cooks even heated up the clay pot to fool unsuspecting customers into believing it was the actual cooking vessel. Wow. (shh!)
This was a popular dish in southern Vietnam since meat and fish wereplentiful. Obviously many types of fish were available there, but certain dishes tend to stick to certain varieties or be influenced by local availability.
What type of fish?
Cá lóc (snakehead fish) is commonly used in Vietnam because it’s cheap. Another popular and pricier option was cá trê. Both of these are only available in the freezer sectionsof Vietnamese markets, but this frozen variety is notworth trying.
Instead, people in the States tend to avoid the ‘fishier’ options like mackarel and go for catfish:
Its popular for itshigher flesh content with less bones–a pretty American choice right? This braised catfish is eaten at any time of the day, year-round. A common practice isto use the filets from the center to make this braised fish recipe, and usethe heads and tails forcanh chua (a sour soup full of veggies–recipe coming soon!).
My aunt actually came over today to make cá kho with tinfoil fish (cá he), in a pressure cooker, which I’ve never gotten the chance to experiment with. This fish is stronger smelling, so she balanced that by adding some tea(!).
Thoughts on Fish Sauce
On my older thit kho recipe (Vietnamese braised pork with eggs) I recommended using Three Crabs brand fish sauce, simply because I learn mostly from my mom who has developed much of her cooking using this brand. There really is a slew fish sauce brands to try though, with many premium offerings in the last few years.
I need to experiment with more types for my own knowledge. Kyle Hildebrant and his frienddid a blind taste teston his website,Our Daily Brine. It seems as ifthe betterfish sauces were from Vietnam, and tended to have fewer ingredients, mainly fish, salt and water. The ones that didn’t taste as good coincidentally (or not?) contained a combination ofhydrolysed vegetable protein, MSG, or caramel color.
Another consideration when choosing a fish sauce is yourhealth. Somebrands containsodium benzoate, a common food preservative. The Center for Science in the Public Interestdescribes it as safe for most people except for “sensitive individuals.” Pair that with this substance causing an off tastein many brands is enough reason for me to avoid it when possible. Or at least venture into discovering better brands.
How To Serve It
Ca kho is a very rich and salty dish, so it goes well with many veggies to balance it out. Serve this with sliced cucumbers, boiled vegetables, or even some pickled mustard greens (dua chua)despite the salt content. If you’re an avid seafood eater like myself, you should also try making whole grilled fish.
If you ever cook recipes on Hungry Huy, I’d love to see pictures of it and to hear from you! Cheers!
Cá Kho Tộ Recipe – Vietnamese Caramelized & Braised Fish
5 from 37 votes
This is a Vietnamese classic of caramelized, sweet and salty braised fish with a moutwatering sauce perfect with lots of white rice.
PRINT PIN
BY: Hungry Huy
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 30 minutes mins
Total: 40 minutes mins
SERVINGS: 2
Ingredients
- 1 lb catfish filets bone and skin optional
- salt to clean the fish
Aromatics
- 2 tbsp oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 yellow onion sliced
Seasoning & cooking liquid
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 tbsp fish sauce
- About 1/2 teaspoon thick soy sauce
- 1/2 c water
- 1/2 c coconut juice or replace water & coconut juice with 1 cup coconut soda
- 1 chile sliced (to taste, optional)
- freshly ground black pepper or add as a final topping when serving
Garnish
- 1 green onions roughly chopped
- black pepper freshly ground
- 1 red chile sliced, optional
Instructions
Generously salt fish and rinse under water to clean it. Set aside to dry.
Add oil to a pan and saute garlic over medium heat until lightly browned.
Layer onion on top, then the fish, evenly spaced.
Add the seasoning & cooking liquid (& optional chiles) and turn the heat to high until boiling. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning.
Bring it to a simmer for ~20 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed.
Gently flip the filets of fish over and simmer for a final ~10 minutes with the lid partially covered.
Stand there to watch it the final ~10 minutes to prevent it from burning! During this time you can continually spoon the sauce over the fish.
Add green onion during last 2 minutes to wilt & top with sliced chiles, and some freshly ground black pepper.
Nutrition Facts
Cá Kho Tộ Recipe – Vietnamese Caramelized & Braised Fish
Serving Size
0 g
Amount per Serving
Calories
397
% Daily Value*
Fat
21
g
32
%
Saturated Fat
3
g
19
%
Cholesterol
132
mg
44
%
Sodium
2393
mg
104
%
Carbohydrates
12
g
4
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
6
g
7
%
Protein
40
g
80
%
Vitamin A
602
IU
12
%
Vitamin C
73
mg
88
%
Calcium
72
mg
7
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: braised, caramelized, fish sauce, traditional
Did you cook this recipe?Tag @HungryHuy or #hungryhuy–I’d love to see it!
Like this recipe? Subscribe to my newsletter!
