Vietnamese · Main

Ca Chien

Crisp pan-fried fish with a tangy scallion-fish-sauce drizzle.

22min
531kcal
44.5gprotein
Ca Chien — Vietnamese recipe, finished and plated
Build your personalized meal plan Choose from 8+ health goals — bulking, keto, weight-loss and more — and receive a meal plan matched to your cuisine & taste preferences.
Get started
Rate this recipe

Ingredients

Servings 2
  • 500 g White fish fillet
  • 3 tbsp Fish sauce
  • 1 Lime
  • 1 tbsp Sugar
  • 3 Scallions
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 4 tbsp Neutral oil

Method

  1. Pat the fish dry; mince the garlic and slice the scallions.
  2. Whisk the fish sauce, lime, and sugar together into a light dipping sauce.
  3. Heat the neutral oil in a pan over medium-high heat and fry the fish until crisp and golden on both sides, turning once.
  4. Drizzle the fish with the dipping sauce, scatter with sliced scallion, and serve with rice.

Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.

About Ca Chien

Ca chien is Vietnamese pan-fried fish, an everyday home dish that treats a simple white fillet with the crisp-edged, boldly seasoned treatment found on countless family dinner tables. The fish is fried until the surface turns genuinely golden and crackling, then finished with a scattering of scallion and a drizzle of the sauce that defines so much Vietnamese cooking. It is fast, cooked in around twenty minutes, and built for eating with rice rather than standing alone.

The character comes from the contrast between the crisp fish and its dressing, a light nuoc cham style blend of fish sauce, lime, and sugar that lands salty, sour, and sweet all at once. Getting the fillet properly dry before it hits hot oil is what earns the crackle, and turning it only once keeps that crust intact. Spooned over hot rice with the raw scallion still bright on top, it is the kind of unfussy, protein-forward main that Vietnamese cooks make on a weeknight without a second thought.

Ca Chien: frequently asked questions

How many calories are in Ca Chien?

A serving has about 531 calories — 44.5g protein, 12.8g carbs, 33.5g fat, 1.3g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.

Is it high in protein?

Each serving has about 44.5g of protein, roughly 34% of its calories.

Is Ca Chien gluten-free?

Based on its ingredients, Ca Chien has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.

How many servings does Ca Chien make?

This recipe makes 2 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.