Canh chua cá

Name: Canh chua cá
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 500 g Fish fillet or Firm white fish, catfish or snakehead steaks, or firm white fish in large pieces; 1 tbsp Fish sauce; 0.5 tsp Black pepper; 1.5 l Water, plus 200 ml hot water for the tamarind; 50 g Tamarind, pulp from a block; 200 g Pineapple, fresh, in thin wedges; 2 medium Tomato, in wedges; 6 piece Okra, sliced on the diagonal; 150 g Bean sprouts; 2 piece Celery, stalks, sliced on the diagonal, in place of elephant-ear stem; 3 tbsp Fish sauce; 2 tbsp Sugar; 0.5 tsp Salt; 2 piece Fresh chilli, sliced; 5 clove Garlic, minced; 3 tbsp Neutral oil; 1 bunch Mixed herbs or Coriander, rice paddy herb (ngò om) and sawtooth coriander (ngò gai), chopped

Mekong Delta sour fish soup: catfish simmered briefly in a tamarind broth with pineapple, tomato, okra and bean sprouts, finished with fried garlic and rice paddy herb.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.

Start cooking

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 20 min
Rest: None
Total: 45 min
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Mild
Cost: Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

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About

Canh chua means sour soup, and the southern Vietnamese version is sour, sweet, salty and herby all at once. Tamarind pulp is soaked and strained into water to make the broth, then pineapple, tomato and okra go in with pieces of catfish, cooked just a few minutes until the fish is done. Bean sprouts and sliced elephant-ear stem are added at the end so they stay crisp; celery is a decent stand-in for the stem. The soup is finished with golden fried garlic and its oil, rice paddy herb and sawtooth coriander. It should be thin and clear, and it is eaten with rice.

What you'll need

17 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 17 ready

4 servings

Fish
Broth
To finish

Ingredients

Servings

Fish

Choose one
Fish fillet, catfish or snakehead steaks, or firm white fish in large pieces500 g
Fish sauce15 ml
Black pepper2½ ml

Broth

Water, plus 200 ml hot water for the tamarind1½ l
Tamarind, pulp from a block50 g
Pineapple, fresh, in thin wedges200 g
Tomato, in wedges2 medium
Okra, sliced on the diagonal6
Bean sprouts150 g
Celery, stalks, sliced on the diagonal, in place of elephant-ear stem2
Fish sauce44 ml
Sugar30 ml
Salt2½ ml
Fresh chilli, sliced2

To finish

Garlic, minced5 clove
Neutral oil44 ml
Choose one
Mixed herbs, rice paddy herb (ngò om) and sawtooth coriander (ngò gai), chopped1 bunch

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Toss the fish with the fish sauce and pepper and leave for 15 minutes. Soak the tamarind in 200 ml hot water for 10 minutes, squeeze and mash it with your fingers, then strain, pressing the pulp through, and throw away the seeds and fibre.
15 min
Step 2
Fry the garlic in the oil in a small frying pan over medium-low heat until pale gold, 2 to 3 minutes. Tip it with its oil into a bowl at once, as it keeps cooking in the hot pan.
4 min
Watch: Garlic burns in seconds once it colours. Take it off early.
Step 3
Bring the water to the boil in a stockpot. Add the tamarind liquid, fish sauce, sugar and salt and taste: it should be clearly sour, then sweet, then salty. Add the pineapple and tomato and simmer for 3 minutes.
8 min
Step 4
Add the fish and okra and simmer gently for 4 to 5 minutes, until the fish is just cooked through. Skim off any foam.
5 min
Tip: Do not stir hard once the fish is in. Nudge it with a spoon so it holds together.
Step 5
Turn off the heat, add the celery and bean sprouts, and taste once more. Ladle into a big bowl, spoon over the fried garlic and its oil, scatter with the herbs and chilli, and serve with rice.
3 min

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 464 kcal
Protein: 33.8 g
Carbs: 33.4 g
Fat: 22.8 g
Saturated fat: 4.1 g
Fibre: 4.5 g
Sugar: 23.9 g
Sodium: 2575 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Fish
Soy

Pescatarian
Dairy-free
Gluten-free
Nut-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.

Substitutions

Tamarind pulp → Tamarind concentrate
Start with 1 tbsp and add more to taste. Concentrates vary a lot in strength.
Catfish → Salmon head and collar
A popular choice among Vietnamese cooks abroad. It gives a richer broth; simmer it 8 minutes.

Tips

Rice paddy herb smells of cumin and lemon, and it is what makes the soup taste like canh chua. If a Vietnamese shop has it, buy it.
Catfish steaks with the bone in give the broth more body than fillets.
Prawns work in place of the fish; give them about 2 minutes.

History & culture

Canh chua is daily food in the Mekong Delta, where nearly every family meal has a soup, and this is the one people miss when they leave. It is eaten at lunch and dinner with rice, often next to a caramel-braised fish. Families change the fish and vegetables with the season: snakehead, catfish, prawns, water lily stems, or yellow sesbania flowers in flood season.

Vietnamese settlers moved into the Mekong Delta mainly in the 17th and 18th centuries, among Khmer and Chinese communities, and the delta's cooking shares sour fish soups with Cambodia and Thailand. Tamarind trees, river fish and pineapple all grow there freely, and canh chua is built from what the canals and orchards give.

Traditional — Elephant-ear stem (bạc hà) and rice paddy herb (ngò om) are the signature greens. Vietnamese shops sell both; celery and a mix of coriander and Thai basil stand in when you cannot get them.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Canh chua cá take?

45 min all in — 25 min prep, 20 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 4 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Easy.

How spicy is it?

Mild.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Fish, Soy. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Pescatarian, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free.

10 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Stockpot, Frying pan, Mixing bowl, Chef's knife, Cutting board.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at ½ tsp.

How much fish sauce?

1 tbsp of Fish sauce.

How much fish sauce?

3 tbsp of Fish sauce.

How much sugar?

2 tbsp of Sugar.

What can I use instead?

Tamarind pulp → Tamarind concentrate. Start with 1 tbsp and add more to taste. Concentrates vary a lot in strength. Catfish → Salmon head and collar. A popular choice among Vietnamese cooks abroad. It gives a richer broth; simmer it 8 minutes.

What should I watch for?

Garlic burns in seconds once it colours. Take it off early.

Any tips from this recipe?

Rice paddy herb smells of cumin and lemon, and it is what makes the soup taste like canh chua. If a Vietnamese shop has it, buy it. Catfish steaks with the bone in give the broth more body than fillets. Prawns work in place of the fish; give them about 2 minutes.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.