Name: Fish Soup with Lemongrass
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: One whole snapper (or barramundi, or perch), about 1 lb (500g) cleaned, scaled and head and tail discarded); salt; 1 tbsp oil; 1/2 red onion, cut into thin wedges; 8 1/2 cups (2 liters) fish stock (use chicken stock, vegetable stock or water for a less fishy flavor, if you prefer); 1 lemongrass stalk, tied in a knot and bruised; 3 1/2 oz (100g) Asian celery, stalks cut into 1 1/4 in (3cm) lengths and leaves chopped and reserved; 2 ripe tomatoes cut into thin wedges; 5 green onions (scalions), white parts only, cut into 2-in (5-cm) lengths (green tops reserved for another use); 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 tablespoon fish sauce; Steamed rice or rice vermicelli and lemon or line wedges, to serve

Description

Today’s recipe the Fish Soup with Lemongrass will be coming directly from a recipe book called Little Vietnam by Nhut Huynh and it is one of the first recipes I will try from this amazing book. I chose this dish as I love noodle soup dishes, they are full of flavour and aroma, I think I won’t go wrong on this one.

Ingredients

Scale

One whole snapper (or barramundi, or perch), about 1 lb (500g) cleaned, scaled and head and tail discarded)
salt
1 tbsp oil
1/2 red onion, cut into thin wedges
8 1/2 cups (2 liters) fish stock (use chicken stock, vegetable stock or water for a less fishy flavor, if you prefer)
1 lemongrass stalk, tied in a knot and bruised
3 1/2 oz (100g) Asian celery, stalks cut into 1 1/4 in (3cm) lengths and leaves chopped and reserved
2 ripe tomatoes cut into thin wedges
5 green onions (scalions), white parts only, cut into 2-in (5-cm) lengths (green tops reserved for another use)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
Steamed rice or rice vermicelli and lemon or line wedges, to serve

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Instructions

Rub the fish all over with the salt, then rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Cut widthwise into five or six pieces
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion for 1-2 minutes or until translucent. Add the stock and lemongrass, then bring to a boil and add the fish. Add the celery stalks and return to a boil, skimming the surface to remove any scum.
Cook for 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes and green onions. Don’t stir as this will break up the fish pieces and you want to keep them intact; instead gently tilt the pan to mix the ingredients. Add the sugar, fish sauce and celery leaves. Serve immediately with rice or noodles and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice.