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Simple Fish Soup with Vietnamese Coriander
5 from 3 votes

Simple Fish Soup with Vietnamese Coriander

This simple fish soup with Vietnamese coriander showcases the natural flavor of fresh seawater fish and the unique aroma of rau răm. It is a light and refreshing soup to make for family dinners.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 157 kcal
Course: Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Ingredients

  • 2 white-fleshed fish or fish steaks - see Notes for more details and suggestions, whole, 8 oz each, cleaned and gutted
  • 1 ginger thumb-sized piece, peeled and cut into thick slices
  • 4 shallot small to medium, peeled and divided
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine or sake
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
  • scallion white parts of 2 stalks
  • 5 cups fish stock or kombu stock
  • 1-2 bird's eye chili remove seeds if you don't want too much spiciness, thinly sliced
  • 1½ cups Vietnamese coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Instructions

Cook the Soup
    Cup of Yum
  1. If using whole fish, score each side of the fish with 1-2 diagonal lashes.
  2. Take 1 ginger slice and half of the shallots. Roughly pound or smack them into smaller pieces and then rub all over the fish together with the wine, salt and pepper. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.
  3. Place a pot over medium heat. Once it is hot, add a bit of cooking oil. Add the remaining ginger and briefly sauté until you can smell the fragrance. Continue to add the shallots and white parts of the scallion. Sauté briefly until fragrant.
  4. Pour fish stock into the pot, add chili pepper and bring it to a boil. Slice the fish into the pot and cook for about 3 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through. There's no need to cover the pot and adjust the heat if needed to maintain a rapid simmer.
  5. Add Vietnamese coriander to the pot and let it come back to a boil. Adjust seasonings to taste, and then transfer to serving bowls.
Serve the Soup
  1. Option 1: Transfer the soup to a large serving bowl. When eating, take the fish out of the soup and place it on to clean plate so diners can use serving chopsticks (or knife and fork) to pick the flesh.
  2. Option 2: Transfer the cooked fish to a plate and remove all the bones. Divide the flesh into the serving bowls and then divide the broth into each bowl.

Notes

  • We often use whole fish that aren't too large with slightly flat shape, and mildly sweet, lean and meaty white flesh. I highly recommend using a seawater fish available at your local grocery stores with similar flavor and texture profile. If whole fish is not an option, you can use fish steaks that aren't too thick or try fish fillets.
  • We often make fish stock from simmering fish bones or dried anchovies. Alternatively, you can also use kombu stock as the base for the soup.
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Nutrition Information

Calories 157kcal (8%) Carbohydrates 6g (2%) Protein 24g (48%) Fat 3g (5%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g (6%) Monounsaturated Fat 1g (5%) Cholesterol 43mg (14%) Sodium 1311mg (55%) Potassium 646mg (14%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 428IU (9%) Vitamin C 6mg (7%) Calcium 115mg (12%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 157

% Daily Value*

Calories 157kcal 8%
Carbohydrates 6g 2%
Protein 24g 48%
Fat 3g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 43mg 14%
Sodium 1311mg 55%
Potassium 646mg 14%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 428IU 9%
Vitamin C 6mg 7%
Calcium 115mg 12%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.