Fried Fish & Tomato Sauce | Ca Chien Sot Ca

I'm back! A little earlier than expected...still behind at work though.

One of my new favorite dishes to make. Steeping fried fish right in a tomato sauce. Cook books and online recipes usually have the tomato sauce poured over the fried fish...but I like the flavor the fish picks up when it cooks in the sauce.


Prepare: chopped scallions, a few cloves of crushed garlic, and 2 finely diced tomatoes.


Your choice of a firm fish. Whole fish should be scaled and clean. Score the skin and season with salt on both sides. I like to deep fry a whole fish, but for the small sized fish I'm using, I decided to pan fry. If you choose to use fillets - pan fry those as well. You get the texture and flavor of a fried fish without the extra oil.


Add a few tablespoons of oil to a fry pan (enough to thinly coat the bottom surface of the pan).


On medium high heat, fry one side of the fish for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.


Flip the fish and fry the other side until brown. Don't over cook because they will cook some more in the sauce.


Remove onto plate lined with paper towels.


Set a pan to medium heat and add a table spoon of oil. Infuse the scallion whites (use shallots if you can), then add crushed garlic, and then the pepper flakes. Add them in the order that needs the most time to cook, if you add them all at once, the pepper flakes will burn before the garlic and scallions cook.


Deglaze with the diced tomatoes and 3 tablespoons of water. Season with salt, more pepper flakes, fish sauce and soy sauce to taste. Give it a stir.


Add the pan-fried fish to the sauce. Cook for 3-5 minutes, scooping the sauce over the fish as it simmers.


Garnish with the scallion greens (cilantro also if you have). Serve with rice.