Stranger Foods

VietnameseSteamed cod fillet with prawns

Serves 4 | Prep 15 mins | Cook 30 mins

Photograph of Steamed cod fillet with prawns.

Like many of the best dishes, this recipe came about by chance. I had leftover minced prawns (shrimp) in the fridge from making soup, so I threw them in with the fish I was steaming for lunch and this was the result. Tasty and quick, this is a real winner.

Source: Vietnamese Made Easy

Ingredients

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1 tsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
150 g raw king prawns, peeled, deveined and minced
1 red onion, diced
1 tsp salt
2 skinless cod fillets, about 250-280 g each
2 thumb-sized pieces fresh ginger, cut into thin matchsticks
2 spring onions, cut into thin matchsticks and soaked in cold water to curl, then drained
1 lime, sliced into thin rounds
1 red chilli, cut into thin matchsticks
1 tsp crispy fried shallots (or use store-bought)
Pinch crushed black peppercorns
4 stems coriander

For the sauce

4 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp lemongrass paste

Instructions

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Add the oil to a frying pan and bring to a high heat. Add the garlic and toss for until it browns. Add the minced prawns and red onion and fry for a further until the prawns are cooked, then take off the heat and set aside.
Set up your steamer over a high heat and bring to boiling point. If you don’t have a steamer, take your largest saucepan with a lid, or a small stockpot, and place a heatproof bowl upside down on the bottom. Fill the pan with water to just below the top of the bowl, then place a second bowl, the correct way up, securely on top of the first. Put the lid on and you have a working steamer!
Rub ½ teaspoon of salt into each cod fillet and then cover with the lid and steam for until just cooked through, or longer for thicker fillets. Test it’s ready by poking the middle with a fork; if it slides in easily and the flesh is fully white, then it’s ready.
Place the prawn mixture on top of the cod, cover with the lid and take off the heat.
Add all the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and slowly stir while bringing to a medium heat.
Remove the fish from the steamer, keeping it on the same hot plate or bowl, if possible, to avoid breaking up the fish. Place the ginger, spring onions, lime and chilli on the fillets, pour over the sauce and sprinkle on the crispy fried shallots and black pepper. Lastly, add a stem or 2 of coriander and serve with jasmine rice or a side of vegetables.

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