Name: Vietnamese "Fried" Fish with Tomato Sauce (Cá Chiên Sðt Cà)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 lb skinless cod fillets (or other firm, thick fish, such as seabass, catfish, salmon, etc.); 2 Tb extra virgin olive oil; 1 ea tomato, large (about 2 cups chopped tomato); 2 ea green onion (sliced, white and green parts separated); 1 ea garlic clove (minced); 2 tsp fish sauce; 1 tsp sugar; 1/4 tsp black pepper; salt for seasoning fish

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Tomatoes never had it so good. Coupled with fish sauce in this lightning fast sauce, your pan-fried cod will never be the same.

ca chien sot ca vietnamese fish with tomato sauce

It doesn’t get any easier than fish and sauce cooked in one pan. This tomato sauce has that extra something with the addition of fish sauce.

We love this easy, fast fish dish you don’t have to think about the night before. Serve with a simple salad, baby bok choy with a secret touch, or make ahead chilled Chinese broccoli.

“Fried” as in Pan-Fried

If you’re like me, there’s no way you’re deep-frying something when pan-frying yields very similar results.

With enough coaxing (and bribing), you may just heat up that big pot of oil to deep fry some fish and chips, tempura, or chicken.

But if you don’t HAVE to, the path of least resistance is to pan fry in a thin layer of oil.

Traditional Vietnamese Fried Fish

This dish is classically deep-fried with skin on, head on whole fish.

The irony is that the crispy skin gets soggy anyway after you smother it with wet tomato sauce.

So in this recipe, we are pan-frying fillets of fish to get a nice brown sear, and that’s it.

Pan Fried Cod with Vietnamese tomato sauce with wine and cutting board in the background

This dish is subtly reminiscent of cioppino, the San Francisco seafood stew also cooked with tomatoes. For that reason, both dishes pair well with Chianti.

Type of Fish

Any thick, large flake fillet fish that holds together works very well such as:

ling cod
salmon
swordfish (though not terribly sustainable)
albacore tuna
sea bass
mackerel

A smaller, thinner fillet such as snapper or rockfish will work too but will fall apart more easily in the tomato sauce.

If you do want to use a smaller fish, it would be best to pan fry it whole or in large fillets so it doesn’t break apart.

The Secret Sauce

This is based on the recipe provided in The Classic Cuisine of Vietnam by Bach Ngo & Gloria Zimmerman.

Pacific Cod fillets are used here. Wild, caught in the USA, and previously frozen. Ling cod would also work very well if you can source it on the West Coast.

Shallots have been added and quantities have been adjusted (namely sugar has been reduced drastically).

Fresh Tomato – canned does work, but the flavor is vastly superior with fresh ones. If you do use canned, definitely pair with wine – see Wine Pairing below
Fish Sauce – transforms even unripe tomatoes into umami bombs
Fresh Garlic – must have with tomato
Shallot – often used in Vietnamese cuisine and just a bit milder than onion
Green Onion – more mild onion flavor
Sugar – just a touch. Sugar is often used in spaghetti sauces to touch up canned tomatoes. This recipe is no different.
Black Pepper – just a few cracks

How to make Vietnamese “Fried” Fish with Tomato Sauce (Cá Chiên Sðt Cà)

Step 1: Prep vegetables

Chop vegetables. Probably leave the tomatoes til last, since they will make your cutting board all wet and drippy.

chopped tomato, green onion, and shallot on a cutting board

Chop tomatoes, shallot, and garlic (not pictured). Slice green onions, keeping the white and green parts separated.

Step 2: Sear fish

I use extra virgin olive oil to sear the fish and skinless fillets.

Don’t forget to sprinkle both sides of the fish with salt before searing! (Makes it tastes better.)

: The presentation side is facing down on the pan, and the skin side is facing up. As you can also see, this nonstick ceramic pan has seen better days.

: It’s not the best sear, but it works. We have tomato sauce to cover up any imperfections.

Sear fillets, presentation side first (which is the non skin side) in a thin layer of olive oil in a hot pan.

The fish will initially stick to the pan and should release once the crust has been formed.

Do not try to pick up the fish if it’s still sticking to the pan.

You need sear only one side, since the other side will be cooked in the tomato sauce.

If your fillets came frozen, dry to dry off the excess moisture with a towel, so you get a better sear.

Step 3: Stir fry aromatics

After removing the fish, you can use the same pan for the tomato sauce.

Add more extra virgin olive oil to the pan, and fry the shallots, garlic, and white part of the scallions for a minute or two on medium heat.

shallots, garlic, green onion, and olive oil in a nonstick pan

Can you see the light brown spots on the pan? That is crust from searing the fish. You can just use the same pan for this sauce. (The dark brown spots are stains that won’t go away on this very expensive ceramic pan.)

fried shallots, scallion, and garlic in a non stick pan

The aromatic vegetables just need a minute or two over medium heat. Try not to burn. (Those brown spots will go away when we add the tomato.)

Add chopped tomatoes to the pan along with the fish sauce, sugar, and black pepper.

Vietnamese Tomato Sauce in a nonstick pan

Simmer while stirring for 4-5 minutes over medium heat until the tomatoes “melt” to form a sauce

Step 4: Finish fish in tomato sauce

Add the fish back to the pan, seared side up, to finish cooking for 2-5 minutes, depending on how thick your fish is.

Since the sauce may turn dry, cover the pan with a lid or foil, so you don’t have to thin out the sauce by adding water.

Pan with Vietnamese tomato sauce and 2 fillets of cod

For about one pound of fish, cut into 2 fillets, you get 1 cup of tomato sauce per fillet. It is a lot of tomato sauce, so you could sneak in a couple more fish fillets if you wanted to.

Step 5: Serve hot

You could make this ahead of time and reheat is later. The tomato sauce keeps the fish nice and moist.

Vietnamese Fried Fish with Tomato Sauce on a gray plate with salad greens

Spread the tomato sauce over any imperfections on the fish you want to cover. Or serve the tomato sauce underneath the fish. Garnish with the green part of the green onions.

This dish is usually served with rice. Serve with salad greens, bok choy, or cauliflower rice if you watching your carbs.

Wine Pairing

Pair white wine with fish…blah, blah blah. It works, but so do some red wines.

Since this has tomato sauce and that famous tomato fish dish (aka bouillabaise) is often paired with Chianti, we thought it would work well too.

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Expert Tips

If defrosting frozen fish, make sure the fish fillets are thoroughly dry to obtain the best crust. Dab with paper towels.
If you prefer to use a thermometer, the fish should reach an internal temp of 145 degrees F.
Vine ripe fresh tomatoes make a big difference in this recipe, though canned tomatoes will work too.
The tomato sauce is your friend. If your seared fish is not pretty, just cover with tomato sauce wherever needed.
This tastes really lovely on top of rice, but a fresh green salad or stir fried greens work too.
Try with Chianti wine.

More Easy Fish Recipes

Easy Baked Ling Cod with 3-Ingredient Miso Glaze

Foolproof 2-Day Miso Marinated Black Cod a la Nobu

Hamachi Crudo (the sashimi alternative)

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