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Vietnamese fried fish with nuoc cham sauce and rice

Vietnamese fried fish with nuoc cham sauce and rice features sea bream fillets coated in cornstarch, fried until crisp, then drizzled with a sweet, tangy, spicy sauce. It serves 4 people, takes 35 minutes, is rated easy, and costs €3.90 per person. The trick is patting the fish completely dry before coating it in cornstarch so the crust turns out thin and crunchy.

Here's a Vietnamese style fried fish, golden and crispy, with a sweet, tangy, spicy nuoc cham sauce to drizzle on without holding back.

Vietnamese fried fish with nuoc cham sauce and rice
Total time
35 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.90
Calories per person
520 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall, Spring, Summer
The kids
They generally like it

Under the thin golden crust, the bream stays moist and flakes apart easily with a fork. The nuoc cham sauce brings that classic Vietnamese balance of sweet, salty and tangy, sharpened with raw garlic and fresh chili, which everyone can adjust by spooning it on themselves. Plain white rice acts as a neutral base that soaks up the sauce without ever hiding it.

This is a great weeknight dinner when you want something different without spending hours in the kitchen, the fish fries in just a few minutes. Kids usually love the crunchy texture of the fish, and you can serve the sauce on the side so they can control how much heat they add. Mon Chou suggests this recipe when you need a dinner that's quick to put together but still bursting with flavor.

The ingredients

4 people

Fish counter

  • Sea bream fillets 4

Pantry

  • Cornstarchoften in the pantry 4 tbsp
  • Fish sauce 3 tbsp
  • Sugaroften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Riceoften in the pantry 280 g
  • Sunflower oiloften in the pantry 15 cl
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fruits and vegetables

  • Lime 2
  • Garlic 3 cloves
  • Chili pepper 1
  • Cilantro 1 sprig

Allergens Fish

The step by step recipe

  1. Make the sauce, mix the sugar with 8 cl of warm water, add the fish sauce, the lime juice, and the chopped garlic and chili.

    No fish sauce, swap it for soy sauce mixed with a little lemon juice.

  2. Cook the rice in salted water, drain it and keep it warm under a lid. 12 min

    Fluff it with a fork to keep the grains separate.

  3. Salt the fish fillets, pat them dry and coat them in cornstarch.

    Cornstarch gives a thinner, crispier crust than flour.

  4. Heat the oil in a large skillet and fry the fillets a few minutes on each side. 8 min

    Flip them only once, the crust needs to set to hold them together.

  5. Drain on paper towels, serve with the rice, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with cilantro.

    Add the sauce at the last moment so the fish stays crispy.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick sea bream fillets of similar size so they all cook at the same rate, otherwise some will overcook while others are still underdone.
  • Use a wide skillet so the fillets aren't crowded, otherwise trapped steam softens the crust instead of letting it crisp up.
  • Make the sauce well before you start cooking the fish, it only gets better once the flavors have had a few minutes to settle.

The variations

  • Swap the sea bream for cod or hake, two firm white fish that hold up well to frying.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the fish with slices of firm tofu coated the same way and fried until golden.
  • For kids who don't like heat, leave the chili out of the sauce and just serve the fish with a squeeze of lime.

What to serve it with

  • Stir fried vegetables
  • Cucumber and shredded carrot salad
  • Iced green tea or lemon water

Storage

Fried fish tastes best eaten right away while it's still crispy, since it loses texture quickly in the fridge. You can still keep it 1 day in the refrigerator in a sealed container and reheat it briefly in the oven to bring back some crunch. The sauce keeps separately for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Questions about this dish

Can I replace the fish sauce if I don't have any?

Yes, swap the fish sauce for soy sauce mixed with a little lemon juice. The flavor will be less distinctly Vietnamese, but the sweet, salty, tangy balance will stay close.

Why use cornstarch instead of flour?

Cornstarch creates a thinner, crunchier crust than flour, which tends to give a thicker, less crisp coating. It's what gives this dish its characteristic Vietnamese fried fish crunch.

Can the sauce be made ahead of time?

Yes, the sauce actually improves when made ahead, the flavors blend and balance out after resting a few hours in the fridge. Just take it out shortly before serving so it isn't too cold.

Is the chili pepper required in the recipe?

No, you can leave it out entirely if you're cooking for young kids or don't like heat. The sauce stays balanced with just the sugar, fish sauce, lime and garlic.

How long does it take to make a Vietnamese fried fish with nuoc cham sauce and rice?

Count 35 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a Vietnamese fried fish with nuoc cham sauce and rice?

About 520 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a Vietnamese fried fish with nuoc cham sauce and rice cost?

About €3.90 per serving, or €15.60 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains fish. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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