Chef Kim Sang from C'est La Vie Restaurant. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

This delightful dish features toothfish fillet with pineapple, bok choy, and cherry tomatoes, served with steamed rice.

Ingredients:

• 120g toothfish fillet
• 20 pieces bok choy, cut in half with the top leaves removed
• 5 cherry tomatoes
• 5g ginger, finely julienned
• 20g onion, thinly sliced
• 5g Phú Quốc ground pepper
• 5g black ground pepper
• 5g coriander leaves

For sauce:

• 30g pork belly, chopped
• 10g garlic, chopped
• 50g white sugar, ground
• 65g fish sauce
• 14g chicken powder
• 20g spring onion head, chopped
• 1 small red chilli, chopped
• 10g dark soy sauce
• 80ml chicken stock
• 80ml pineapple juice

Patagonian toothfish clay pot. Photo Courtesy of the restaurant.

Preparation:

For the caramelized sauce:

• In a saucepan, stir-fry the pork belly with garlic until golden brown, using 2 tablespoons of soy oil.
• Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 10 minutes.
• Set aside to cool.

For the clay pot:

• Deep fry the toothfish in hot oil (180°C) for 10 seconds.
• In a small saucepan, pour 1 tablespoon of soy oil and fry the onion for 2 minutes without browning.
• Pour the caramelized sauce and add the toothfish. Boil the sauce and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes, ensuring the toothfish is covered by the sauce.
• Blanch the bok choy in salted water for 30 seconds, then set aside.
• Fry the cherry tomatoes in hot oil (180°C) for 5 seconds and set aside on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.

Plating:

• Put the toothfish in a clay pot and place it in a serving bowl.
• Add the caramelised sauce.
• Arrange the boiled Bok choy and cherry tomatoes around the fish.
• Sprinkle a pinch of ground Phú Quốc pepper and black ground pepper on top.
• Garnish with ginger and coriander.
• Serve with steamed rice on the side.

You can enjoy other delectable dishes at C’est La Vie Restaurant in Mai House Saigon Hotel, 157 Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa Street, Võ Thị Sáu Ward, District 3, HCM City. Tel: (028) 7303 9000. VNS