Viet Caramelized Fish (C Kho T)

Clean and cut your fish fillets into approximately half palm-sized portions. This increases the surface area for marinating, and makes it easier for us to portion and eat with chopsticks. Feel free to cut your fish into larger portions and find a marinating time that works for you.

Mix the dark brown sugar and fish sauce thoroughly, optionally adding the red pepper or chili to help with less-pleasant fishiness. Marinate your fish of choice for 2-3 hours, depending on the size and variety of your fish. The longer you marinate, the more the fish "juices" will be drawn out by the high salt content of the marinade. This will give you a saucier dish, but can potentially alter the taste and texture of your fish. For our chilean sea bass, we go less than 2 hours.

When ready to cook, heat a skillet that can fit all of your fish with 2 tbsp of a high smoke-point oil. We use less oil because we usually cook bass, which is an already fatty fish. For leaner fish, feel free to add a bit more oil. Fry your shallots until golden brown, then scoop them out and set aside.

In the fragrant oil, heat until shimmering and add your fish and marinade, fish-skin side down. Lower the temp to medium, cover with a lid, and cook until your fish is at the temperature you like.

Before serving, sprinkle the fried shallots back onto the dish and crack black pepper over the fillets. The shallots should absorb some of the marinade over time and become jammy. Serve with additional pepper, or any additional seasoning to taste.