Vietnamese Braised Fish Recipe (Cá Kho Tộ)
To change our daily meal, we have been attempting to make varieties of dish with fish for our beloved children to make sure they get enough nutrients, including Baked Salmon with Lemon-Butter Sauce, Baked Fish Lemongrass, etc. At this time, we want the kids to try our traditional braised dish by making Vietnamese Braised Fish or Braised Catfish in Claypot (Ca Kho To). Usually, we use catfish to make the dish and also add pork in it. Since the pork will release some of its fat into the sauce during our braising process, our braised dish will be more tasty and delicious. Adding pork is totally optional. We know if the recipe is successful when the kids would ask for more. Since we’re making this for our kids, we don’t add any hot pepper. If you love spicy food, you can add some Thai chili pepper. It will enhance the flavor and taste.
You can make this recipe using a clay pot or cast iron skillet. In Vietnam, this dish is always made in clay pot. Since we don’t know for high certainty the safety of clay pots sold at Asian markets, we opt for cast iron skillet made in the USA. It will also help keep the heat longer and heat evenly which is crucial for this dish.
For other fish recipes, check out our Baked Fish with Lemongrass (Cá Nướng Sả) and Baked Salmon with Lemon-Butter Sauce (Cá Hồi Nướng Sốt Bơ Chanh).
Visit our youtube channel for more cooking videos, https://www.youtube.com/NPFamilyRecipes.
[youtube https://youtu.be/KHjFy70V-zs?rel=0 frameborder=0 allowfullscreen]
Vietnamese Braised Fish (Cá Kho Tộ)
Ingredients
- 1 lb catfish steak (or fillet)
- 1/2 lb pork
- 3 green onion
- 1 shallot
- 3 tsp fish sauce
- 4 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp mushroom seasoning (optional)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- Thinly slice a shallot. For green onion, mince only onion's white part. Chop the green part thinly. Set aside.
- Cut pork into thin slices. Place into a bowl and marinate with 1 tsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. fish sauce, 1/4 tsp. ground pepper, and 1/2 amount of minced onion. Mix up. Set aside. In another bowl, marinate the fish with 1 and 1/2 tsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. fish sauce, 1/4 tsp. ground pepper, remaining minced onion, and 1 tsp. mushroom seasoning, if using. Mix well. Marinate for 15 minutes.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or a clay pot on medium-low heat. Add 2 tsp. sugar on one side of the pan. (Don't stir until the sugar melt.) Pour 1 tsp. oil on the other side of the pan. Add sliced shallot. Stir fry until fragrant.
- Pour in the marinated pork. Stir fry for 1 minute. Lay the marinated fish over the pork. Add water. Bring it to a boil. Cover and cook for 4 minutes on each side. Then take off the lid and cook for 6-8 minutes without covering or until it reaches to your desired consistency.
- Garnish with chopped green onions. Sprinkle with ground pepper.
- Served with white rice and soup or with white rice, salad and cucumber. Enjoy and Good Luck! Please let me know your result!
Notes
Main Ingredient Cost
Catfish steak $5.19
Pork $1.79
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$6.98 ̣($1.75/serving)