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Catfish in Caramel Sauce (Ca Kho To)

Vietnamese
Time to prep & cook: Serves 4 | Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 30-40 minutes

YOU WILL NEED: a large nonstick saute pan (about 14″ diameter with a 4″ wall), measuring spoons, spatula, sharp knife, cutting board

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • 1/2 can carbonated coconut juice
  • 1 pound catfish filets (about 3 filets)
    TIP: Catfish is a good fish to use because it holds its shape well, but Linh also recommends using cod or salmon.
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce (to your taste)
  • 1 tablespoon ground peppercorns
  • 2 bird’s eye chilis
  • 2-3 green onion stalks (for garnish)

Instructions

  • Step 1 Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a large saute pan over medium to high heat.
    TIP: Use a nonstick pot to ensure that the caramel doesn’t stick; if you are using a nonstick pot, you do not need to use oil, but Linh likes to use it anyway as “extra insurance.”
  • Step 2 Swirl the oil around to coat the bottom of the pot.
    TIP: The oil is easier to move around once it starts to heat up.
  • Step 3 Add 3 tablespoons sugar to the pot. Mix the sugar with the oil until it becomes clumpy (it should look like wet sand) and let it melt and caramelize, allowing it to turn dark amber. The heat should be high enough to melt the sugar, but not so high that the caramel starts to burn.
    TIP: Caramel made this way is called a dry caramel, which means that you can keep moving the caramel around as it cooks, ensuring that it cooks evenly. Wet caramel cannot be touched while it is cooking because it will seize up.
  • Step 4 Right before the caramel turns dark amber, remove the pot from the heat. Because the pot is so hot, the caramel will keep cooking even after the pot is removed from the heat.
  • Step 5 With the pot still off the heat, add 1/2 can carbonated coconut water to the caramel, stirring the pot until the caramel combines with the liquid. Keep in mind that the liquid will foam and let off steam.
  • Step 6 Turn the heat back on medium and add the fish filets to the pot, coating them with the caramel sauce so they absorb both the color and the flavor of the caramel sauce.
  • Step 7 Add 3 tablespoons fish sauce and 2 bird’s eye chili to the pot, or more to taste. Cover & let simmer over medium to low heat, allowing the sauce to thicken.
  • Step 8 Cook fish for 30-40 minutes. Every 5 minutes, swirl the pot around to get the sauce on the top of the fish filets.
    TIP: Avoid flipping or moving the fish, as this can easily cause the filets to break.
  • Step 9 Wash and chop 2 to 3 green onions into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces.
  • Step 10 Once the sauce achieves a consistency similar to that of molasses (after 30-40 minutes), the fish is ready. Use a spatula to place the fillets in a serving dish. Sprinkle with pepper & chopped green onions to garnish.

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