Cha Ca La Vong- Vietnamese Grilled Fish

Cha ca la Vong is a great Vietnamese Fish Dish and is considered a delicacy not a street food. It originates from Hanoi.

How To Make

Cut the fish in pieces, marinate in turmeric, shrimp paste, fish sauce, and ginger. Marinate 30 minute. Forget that overnight stuff with fish it doesn’t take long to marinate fish and it ruins the texture.

Heat up a pan with some oil and sauté the fish on each side for a minute. After you see some browning throw in the dill and scallion and keep it moving until the fish is done.

Serving The Fish

The grilled fish is usually served family style with rice noodles, peanuts, fresh herbs, rice cracker, lettuce leaves, and a dip. I like a shrimp paste dip but most recipes have a fish sauce dip like Nuoc Cham. The shrimp paste dip is funky good but may be to much for some. Give it a try!

Eating is fun!

Eat this grilled fish with your hands. Pick up some fish, some grilled herbs, some fresh herbs, rice noodles, peanuts, rice cracker and wrap it in a lettuce leaf and dip.

Eat it with the Vietnamese crepe, Banh Xeo is eaten the same way and would be a great accompaniment.

Try this great vegan Pho recipe.

Print Recipe

Cha Ca La Vong

Vietnamese grilled fish with dill and tumeric.

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Keyword: tumericc fish, vietnamese fish

Ingredients

Marinade

2 lbs catfish or tilapia cut in 2 inch pieces
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp minced shallot
2 tsp minced garlic and ginger
2 tbsp fish sauce or 1 tsp shrimp paste
1 tsp sugar

After The Marinade

1 bunch dill (not little plastic pack) very coarsely chopped
1 bunch scallion in 1 inch pieces

Serve With

rice noodle
sesame rice cracker microwave until puffed
chopped peanuts
fried shallot (optional) Available at the Asian market
leaf lettuce
Thai Basil, Mint
Mam Tom or Nuoc Cham dipping sauce

Instructions

Mix the marinade and add the fish for a half hour. Many recipes say overnight, don’t! Fish absorbs marinade vey fast.
Heat a large skillet with some oil. Add the fish and sear both sides. Throw in dill and scallion and keep mixing and flipping until done
serve with lettuce, herbs, peanut, rice crackers, and dipping sauces (see above)