A Taste of Da Nang: Sweet and Sour Rabbitfish Soup

As you may know, I am living in Da Nang, a beautiful beach city in the central of Viet Nam. People love Da Nang not only for its stunning beaches and relaxed lifestyle but also for its amazing food, especially seafood.

Today, I want to share with you one of my favorite home-cooked dishes that truly captures the flavor of Da Nang: sweet and sour rabbitfish soup, as we call it in Vietnamese, Canh chua cá dìa. It’s really refreshing with a sweet and sour taste that will surprise you on first taste, with a simple recipe.

If you’ve ever had a Vietnamese meal, you know that in our culture, soup (canh) is a must on the table. Unlike the thick soups in Western cuisine, Vietnamese soups are light, brothy, and refreshing, the perfect balance to rice and other savory dishes. Canh has a lot of water and a variety of toppings such as: veggies, meat, seafood, or a combination of all of them :))

Alright, let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 1 rabbitfish
• Pineapple, tomatoes, ladyfingers
• Pickled bamboo shoot
• Spring onion, culantro, rice paddy herb
• Garlic, salt, fish sauce, sugar, msg, cooking oil

How to cook:

• Step 1: pre-process the fish and other vegetables by cleaning them well, with fish normally the seller already clear the belly just need to rinse well under water. Wash and cut all the vegetables and herbs

• Step 2: Prepare a pot, add some cooking oil, add chopped garlic in and stir until fragrant.

Then add the pickled bamboo shoots, a splash of fish sauce, a pinch of salt, and sugar. Stir well so everything is coated in that savory aroma.

• Step 3: Pour about 1 liter of water into the pot and bring it to a boil. Add the rabbitfish and keep the high heat.

When the soup starts boiling again, add the pineapple, tomatoes, and ladyfingers. Cook for another 3–5 minutes.

Finally, taste the broth and adjust it to your liking, more sour, more sweet, or more salty. Then add the chopped spring onion, culantro, and rice paddy herb.

Tada, we’ve made a pot of fragrant, and refreshing canh chua cá dìa and look how fresh, and tempting it is.

Time to enjoy it. The broth is light, sweet, sour, so refreshing, and full of flavor. Personally, I prefer it a bit more sour than sweet, so I didn’t add much sugar. The natural sweetness from the fish and ladyfingers balances everything just right. The combination of pineapple, tomatoes, and herbs brings out a perfect tropical harmony.

The rabbitfish is so good. It has a sweet flavor and tender meat. I especially like it because it has just one central bone, which makes it easy to eat.

The soup is suitable for a family style meal, with white rice and vegetables, and other savory dishes. It feels so healthy. Everytime eat fish, the meal feels light and fresh.

So that's all for today. I hope you like the soup and share with me your favorite soup.

Sending love and a good vibe from Da Nang!

All the photos were taken by me in my lovely kitchen.