Vietnamese Braised Catfish in Clay Pot (Ca Kho To)

Vietnamese Braised Catfish in Clay Pot (Cá Kho Tộ) is my taste of home. Nothing reminds me more of traditional Vietnamese home cooking than gently braised catfish in a clay pot, served with steamed rice and its sister sweet and sour fish soup (Canh Chua). Cá Kho Tộ is catfish steaks tossed in aromatic shallots and garlic, then braised in a clay pot with fish sauce, sugar and coconut juice.
Vietnamese Food, Vietnamese Cuisine, Vietnamese Recipes, Vietnamese Home Cooking
How to Make Vietnamese Braised Catfish In Clay Pot (Ca Kho To)
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
2 lbs catfish (1-inch steaks)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon thick soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 shallot (mince)
3 cloves garlic (mince)
1/2 cup coconut soda (optional)
1/2 cup water
1/8 teaspoon (pinch) ground black pepper
1 green onion (slice thinly)
INSTRUCTIONS
Marinate catfish steaks with fish sauce, sugar and thick soy sauce for at least one hour or overnight in the fridge for best results.
In a large clay pot, heat vegetable oil on medium high. Add shallot and garlic. Saute until lightly brown.
Add marinated catfish steaks (do not made any of the liquid marinade; will add later). Flip catfish on all sides to evenly coat with aromatics. Now add liquid marinade, coconut soda and water. Cover clay pot with a lid. Reduce the heat to a medium-low simmer and braise for 10 minutes
Gently flip catfish steaks. When flipping catfish, it's helpful to use a large spoon or spatula to prevent breaking the catfish into a million pieces. No more moving catfish around at this point as it can break apart more easily. Continue to braise catfish on a medium-low simmer, covered, for 10 more minutes.
Top with ground black pepper and green onions. Serve with steamed rice, fresh cucumbers, boiled greens and a complementary soup for a complete meal.
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[@lindam.truong3897]

Thanks for transcribing your recipes in English. Recipes are easy to follow up and incorporate basic ingredients.

[@t4981]

Mmmmm

[@peaceloveforever88]

Hello Vicky , your Recipe is VERY DELICIOUS, congrats

[@tht2955]

That’s the cleanest fish I’ve ever seen

[@v2pham]

Scrub the skin into oblivion 😂

[@sasikalas8412]

Looks delicious. Is coconut soda same as coconut water. Where can i buy the coconut soda?

[@v2pham]

Yes, you can substitute coconut soda with coconut water / juice. Fresh sweet coconut juice is even better 😀

[@Maggie2809]

Hi Vicky, is this a donabe claypot?

[@tdinh8375]

what is thick soy sauce? is it like abc sweet soy sauce? what brand do you use?

[@v2pham]

I use Koon Chun Thick Soy Sauce. It's primarily for color when I don't want to make my own caramel cooking sauce. I use only a tiny bit for color.

[@hectorpuente316]

Can the clay pot be substituted for a small metal pot?

[@v2pham]

Yes you can.

[@hectorpuente316]

Ok 👍 it’s official your recipe was amazing aka I killed it in my belly 😁I’m a bit allergic to shellfish so I just added a bit more Coco Rico soda to tune down the fish sauce. I had brown rice instead of white, a bit more healthier and brown sugar instead of white. Also some saluted cauliflower, red and yellow peppers, string beans and okra.
Since I go fishing a lot I was blessed by God with two fresh water catfish tasted the fish but not that fresh saltwater taste don’t know if that would have made a difference?
And when I pulled back the skin on the catfish it looked so much like shark meat. Can I use shark meat next time for this dish ? I already know there’s a dish that’s salmon, bean sprout, celery, tomatoes, okra and something else but I forgot the name of it 😁 just talking about it makes me want to hop on the train to Chinatown and eat some more Vietnamese food!. Thank you again for the recipe and motivation. God bless you and your family.

[@nadineellington7807]

So do I have to soak my gilpo clay pot in water for 20 minutes before using on a stove top?

[@v2pham]

I didn't. Works fine 🙂

[@angelaxlee]

Can I use fish fillets?

[@v2pham]

Absolutely. But they will be prone to breaking so be gentle.