Name: Vietnamese Turmeric and Dill Fish ‘Cha Ca’ | Marion's Kitchen
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 180g (6.3 oz) dried rice vermicelli; 800g (1.7 lb) white fish fillets, sliced into 4cm wide strips; 2 Tbsp vegetable oil; 1 Tbsp lime juice; 1 long red chilli, finely sliced; 3 spring onions (scallions), cut into batons; 3 sprigs of dill, cut into large pieces (but remove any large stems); Marinade:; 1/3 cup sliced spring onion (scallions); 3 garlic cloves; ¼ cup fish sauce; 1 Tbsp turmeric; 1 tsp curry powder; 1 tsp sugar; 2 Tbsp vegetable oil; 2 tbsp finely chopped dill; Nuoc cham dressing:; 3 Tbsp white sugar; 3 Tbsp fish sauce; 2 Tbsp white vinegar; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 long red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped; 2 Tbsp lime juice

Vietnamese Turmeric & Dill Fish ‘Cha Ca’

Vietnamese Turmeric and Dill Fish Cha Ca

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Whenever I visit Hanoi, I always make a beeline for one of the renowned cha ca restaurants to enjoy the famous turmeric grilled fish topped with fresh herbs. It’s so light and flavoursome… which is exactly why I’ve made my own 30-minute version of the dish so you can enjoy it yourself. Gorgeous!

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Vietnamese Turmeric & Dill Fish ‘Cha Ca’

PREP TIME

15 minutes

COOK TIME

10 minutes

SERVES

Ingredients

180g (6.3 oz) dried rice vermicelli

800g (1.7 lb) white fish fillets, sliced into 4cm wide strips

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 long red chilli, finely sliced

3 spring onions (scallions), cut into batons

3 sprigs of dill, cut into large pieces (but remove any large stems)

Marinade:

1/3 cup sliced spring onion (scallions)

3 garlic cloves

¼ cup fish sauce

1 Tbsp turmeric

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp finely chopped dill

Nuoc cham dressing:

3 Tbsp white sugar

3 Tbsp fish sauce

2 Tbsp white vinegar

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 long red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped

2 Tbsp lime juice

Steps

Soak the vermicelli noodles in just boiled water for 2 minutes or until tender. Drain and divide among serving bowls.
For the marinade, use a mortar and pestle to pound the spring onion and garlic to a rough paste. Stir through the remaining ingredients. Pour the marinade into a large bowl. Add the fish and toss to coat.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high het. Add the fish, spreading the pieces out in the pan. Allow to cook on the first side until golden (about 2-3 minutes). Then gently turn the fish over, sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of water. Cover with a lid and cook for 2-3 minutes or until fish is just cooked. Scatter over most of the spring onion and dill (leave some for serving). Pour over lime juice and remove from heat.
Top noodles with fish and the pan juices. Drizzle with nuoc cham and add more dill or spring onion as needed.

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Vietnamese Turmeric & Dill Fish ‘Cha Ca’

Whenever I visit Hanoi, I always make a beeline for one of the renowned cha ca restaurants to enjoy the famous turmeric grilled fish topped with fresh herbs. It’s so light and flavoursome… which is exactly why I’ve made my own 30-minute version of the dish so you can enjoy it yourself. Gorgeous!
PREP TIME	15 minutes
COOK TIME	10 minutes
SERVES	4

Ingredients

180g (6.3 oz) dried rice vermicelli

800g (1.7 lb) white fish fillets, sliced into 4cm wide strips

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 long red chilli, finely sliced

3 spring onions (scallions), cut into batons

3 sprigs of dill, cut into large pieces (but remove any large stems)

Marinade:

1/3 cup sliced spring onion (scallions)

3 garlic cloves

¼ cup fish sauce

1 Tbsp turmeric

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp finely chopped dill

Nuoc cham dressing:

3 Tbsp white sugar

3 Tbsp fish sauce

2 Tbsp white vinegar

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 long red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped

2 Tbsp lime juice

Steps

Soak the vermicelli noodles in just boiled water for 2 minutes or until tender. Drain and divide among serving bowls.
For the marinade, use a mortar and pestle to pound the spring onion and garlic to a rough paste. Stir through the remaining ingredients. Pour the marinade into a large bowl. Add the fish and toss to coat.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high het. Add the fish, spreading the pieces out in the pan. Allow to cook on the first side until golden (about 2-3 minutes). Then gently turn the fish over, sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of water. Cover with a lid and cook for 2-3 minutes or until fish is just cooked. Scatter over most of the spring onion and dill (leave some for serving). Pour over lime juice and remove from heat.
Top noodles with fish and the pan juices. Drizzle with nuoc cham and add more dill or spring onion as needed.

Gail

September 14, 2023

easy!

I used 2 prev frozen snapper filets from Publix & had mine with lemon spaghetti

earthy and fresh tasting delicious

Luke

October 25, 2022

Delicious and easy.

The prep is the longest bit for sure. The fish cooks really easily as per the recipe.

Garrick

September 13, 2022

Sinfully delicious!

Easy recipe, beautifully layered in herb and flavors. I used cod and didn’t have vermicelli noodles but it worked just fine with jasmine rice. Marion’s dishes always brings me joy!

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