Chả Cá Lã Vọng, Hanoi Turmeric Fish with Dill
In Hanoi, the turmeric fish is cooked over smokey coals and comes to the table on a hot stone with dill and green onion. Hot oil is poured on top, making the fish sizzle and deepens in flavour. Despite spending every summer in Vietnam for 12 years, I never had the dish because my mother is from the south, and dill is not common in her town. I first stumbled upon this when I was trying to find new ways to eat fish.
There are many ways to cook this dish at home and make it adaptable to what you have available without losing its authentic flavours. Skip down to the recipe or skim through the notes for tips to adapt this to your kitchen!
Good to Knows…
Ingredients and Substitutions
Fish type
I've listed out wild fish options commonly found in British Columbia, but you can use any firm white fish. I find Halibut tends to be less forgiving and drier. Traditionally it's made with catfish and tilapia, which are much more oily fish types that are harder to overcook.
Tip: Marinate the fish and make the dipping sauce the day before, cuts the cooking time in half.
Fermented shrimp paste
Try to find the Vietnamese kind that comes in a liquid form. Some types are in a solid-state, in a vacuum-sealed block. If using the solid kind, mash the amount you need in warm water. Seal the leftovers tightly and keep them refrigerated; I've had my shrimp paste block for two years! Substitute for double the amount of fish sauce and a pinch of sugar.
Dipping Sauce
Traditionally, you would find this dish is served with a sauce made from shrimp paste, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, and Thai chiles. The fermented funk is too much for me and my tiny apartment. Therefore I went with the more common Nuoc Cham.
Alternative Cooking Methods
Cooking Method #1 Coal Grill & Hot Oil Bath
Traditionally the fish is grilled over hot coals for a smokey taste. The barely cooked fish is transferred onto a hot stone plate with dill and green onion. Hot oil is poured over the fish and greens.
Cooking Method #2 Oven Broil & Pan-fry
To replicate the charred smokey taste a coal barbeque gives, you can oven broil them in a single layer until brown on the outside but barely cooked through. Heat a pan with 4 tablespoons of oil, gently add fish and green onion, and dill. Turn fish until the edges are fried crispy, and greens are bright green and slightly wilted.
Cooking Method #3 Pan-fry
Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering hot. Add fish and cook until golden brown, just cooked through about 3-5 minutes on each side. Add dill and scallion greens, gently toss until the greens are wilted for about 30 seconds.
How to Serve The Fish
Serve right away with vermicelli noodles, fresh mint, cilantro, crushed peanuts, and Nuoc Cham dipping sauce. Alternatively, keep it simple and serve it with jasmine rice and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Non-traditional ways of serving the fish are on a bed of shredded cabbage highly dressed in salt and lime juice or even on a corn tortilla.
Chả Cá Lã Vọng, Hanoi Turmeric Fish with Dill
Ingredients
Instructions
- Pat, fish dry, cut into 1x3 inch rectangles or 2x2 cubes.
- In a large bowl that you'll use to marinate the fish in, combine: 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger, 1 clove of finely grated garlic, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 tablespoon plain yogurt, 1 tablespoon mam tom, 2 tbsp oil, and ½ tsp ground pepper
- Add the fish pieces into the marinade and set them aside for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Add all ingredients for Nuoc Cham: 1/2 cup of warm water, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 clove of minced garlic, and 1 minced Thai chili. Stir, and set aside.
- Prep sides such as noodles, rice, or salad. Portions are all personal preferences.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering hot.
- Add fish and cook until golden brown and just cooked through. About 3-5 minutes on each side.
- Add dill and scallion greens, toss until the greens are wilted. About 30 seconds.
- Slide fish onto a plate and serve right away!
Special thanks to all the folks that gifted me with some of British Columbia's finest catch!
Tiffany Bader, at Silvercore for gifting me with a fillet of Halibut, caught in Tofino. I appreciate every text or email I get from Tiffany because they are always filled with ideas and methods for cooking wild foods I would have never thought of exploring.
Mark Wilmot @reel_in_tag_out cleared out his freezer and generously gave me a bag of fillets of various rockfish. Always enjoy chatting with Mark because his enthusiasm for being outdoors and chasing critters is contagious! I remember standing in heavy downpour swapping stories, having way too much fun. By the time I broke away and got into my car, I realized I was in a down jacket that was now flat and dripping rain everywhere. Good thing I was heading home and not actually hunting in that wet (and useless) coat.
Happy Cooking!
Jenny Ly
