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Vietnamese Caramel Fish (Ca Kho To)

Ca kho to is one of Vietnam's great home-cooking dishes — fish braised in a savoury caramel sauce until it turns glossy, dark and deeply flavoured. Traditionally it's made in a claypot, but any small heavy pot works beautifully.

The magic is in the sauce: sugar cooked to a bittersweet caramel, then balanced with fish sauce, garlic, ginger and a hit of black pepper. It clings to the fish and turns plain steamed rice into something you'll fight over.

Despite the restaurant-worthy result, this is genuinely simple cooking. Firm white fish like barramundi handles the braise perfectly, and the whole thing is on the table in well under an hour.

Servings
4
Prep Time
15
mins
Cook Time
35
mins
Ingredients
12
Total Time
50
mins

Pantry bits

Fish Sauce
Fish Sauce

Ingredients

  • 700g firm white fish cutlets or thick fillets (barramundi or ling work well)
  • 3 tbsp white sugar
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 250ml coconut water (or water)
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp finely grated ginger
  • 2 eschalots (French shallots), thinly sliced
  • 1 long red chilli, sliced
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus extra to serve
  • 2 spring onions, sliced
  • Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Instructions

  1. Pat the fish dry and season lightly with salt. Set aside while you make the caramel.
  2. Put the sugar and 1 tablespoon of water in a claypot or small heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan (don't stir), until it turns a deep amber caramel — about 4-5 minutes.
  3. Carefully add the fish sauce and coconut water (it will bubble up), then stir until the caramel dissolves into a smooth sauce.
  4. In a small frying pan, heat the oil and gently cook the garlic, ginger and eschalots for 2 minutes until fragrant, then stir them into the sauce.
  5. Nestle the fish into the pot in a single layer and add the chilli and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer.
  6. Simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes, carefully spooning the sauce over the fish every so often, until the sauce has reduced to a glossy glaze and the fish is cooked through.
  7. Scatter with spring onion and extra black pepper, and serve straight from the pot with plenty of steamed jasmine rice.

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