Flaky whitefish, like cod, is delicate and has a subtle flavor; it craves a high-octane dressing to punch it up. Here that takes the form of a sticky, savory, and sweet condiment inspired by Vietnamese fish sauce caramel. This sauce uses a heap of turmeric, so seek out a high-quality product like Spicewalla, Diaspora Co., or Burlap & Barrel. Don’t hold back on the fresh herbs and sliced raw onions on top—their freshness and bite offer a perfect counterpart to the umami-rich sauce.
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What you’ll need
Large Nonstick Skillet
$50 At Amazon
Mini Tongs
$20 At Williams-Sonoma
Citrus Juicer
$20 $15 At Amazon
Mesh Sieve
$13 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
4
½
3
1
¼
4
2
Preparation
Step 1
Slice 3 limes in half and squeeze through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl (you should have about 5 Tbsp. juice); discard seeds. Cut remaining lime into wedges and set aside for serving.
Step 2
Whisk lime juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, turmeric, cayenne, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, swirling pan occasionally to keep mixture from bubbling up, until thickened, about 8 minutes. Let caramel cool slightly (it will continue to thicken as it cools).
Step 3
Meanwhile, pat fish dry, then season with salt. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Cook fish until flesh is opaque, cooked through, and flakes easily with a fork, about 3 minutes per side.
Step 4
Divide rice among plates and top each with a fillet. Spoon warm caramel over. Top with white onion, mint, and cilantro. Serve with reserved lime wedges for squeezing over.
Leave a Review
Reviews (79)
Back to Top(Do not reccomend recipe above) Recipe itself was awful. But here is what we did to make it more edible (turned into fish tacos because my fish couldn't stay together while frying though): -juice from only 2 limes -3 Tbs soy sauce -1/4 cup brown sugar -1 Tbs sugar -1tsp tumeric -1/4 tsp cayenne pepper -pinch of powdered ginger Prepare as directed in the recipe above. My caramel never thickened and my fish didn't stay together. So after cooking, I mixed all of the sauce with all of my flakey fish in a bowl until the fish was coated evenly. Got a tortilla, lined it with corn chips, put the fish mix on, fold and hold with a toothpick. Gave a nice sweet and savory flavor with a slight sour bite from the lime. Really really nice, please give my recipe a try.
Vanendra
3/5/2024
Will not make again. Everything was off. Wayyy too much turmeric and the flavors did not blend well.
JL
Patterson, NY
8/31/2023
Use all the turmeric!! Delicious!!
Anne
Maple Grove Minnesota
7/10/2023
Off the hook
Donna
Florida
4/28/2023
I never review BA recipes because I tear them out of the magazine and figuring out how to log in is a pain… but this was so vile that I just had to. I never throw food away but this was inedible - powdery from the turmeric, sour from the excess of limes, and overly sweet from the sugar. Thank goodness I have some Costco dumplings in the freezer haha
Dana
Brooklyn
1/14/2023
Super easy and sort of addictive. The salad & a squirt of lime juice at the end are critical. I used scallion instead of the white onion. The caramel was too turmeric-forward for me so next time I think I will back off a little. Maybe 2 tsp?
Sophy
Ashland, OR
7/4/2022
Wife can't have citrus, so I subbed Pino grigio for the lime juice. Subbed a squirt of harissa for the cayenne. Very tasty !!
Anonymous
Texas
3/7/2022