Tangy seafood stew recipe

Refreshing and loaded with seafood, vegetables and herbs, canh chua is a classic that evokes the bounty and easy-going rhythm of the Mekong Delta region. It's a bit like a Viet-style bouillabaisse seafood stew. It’s traditionally made with items such as tamarind, taro stem and rice paddy herb (ngò om), which require a trip to an Asian market. But this streamlined version, prepared with supermarket ingredients, is a knockout. For a one-dish meal, serve with warm corn or flour tortillas, or fried rice.

Ingredients

Details

  • Cuisine: Vietnamese
  • Recipe Type: Seafood
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Preparation Time: 10 mins
  • Cooking Time: 25 mins
  • Serves: 4

Step-by-step

  1. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the vegetable oil and garlic, and cook at a gentle sizzle, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, until the garlic is golden.
  2. Pour in the water to arrest the cooking, then add the brown sugar, pomegranate molasses, fish sauce, salt and pineapple.
  3. Turn the heat to high to bring to a fast simmer, adjust the heat to maintain that pace and cook for 8–10 minutes to develop flavour. If not serving right away, remove from the heat and cover. Return to a near boil before continuing.
  4. Add the fish fillet, prawns and clams to the pan and cook for 3–4 minutes, just until the fish is opaque, the prawn curls and the clams open.
  5. Add the celery and cook for about 2 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the tomato and beansprouts and cook for 1 minute more, until slightly softened, then turn off the heat.
  6. Add the herbs, cumin and chilli to the pan and then let sit for 5 minutes.
  7. Taste and, if needed, adjust the flavour with additional brown sugar, fish sauce or pomegranate molasses to arrive at a tart-sweet-savoury balance.
  8. Using a two-handed approach with a ladle in one hand and chopsticks or tongs in the other, transfer the soup to a large bowl or divide among individual soup bowls. Serve immediately.

Reprinted with permission from Vietnamese Food Any Day: Simple Recipes for True, Fresh Flavors by Andrea Nguyen, copyright © 2019. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Photography credit: Aubrie Pick © 2019.

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