Vietnamese Grilled Fish with Lemongrass and Galangal

This Vietnamese Galangal Lemongrass Grilled Fish (Ca nuong rieng sa) is fragrant and flavorful. Serve it with rice noodles, lettuce, and fresh herbs for a light yet filling meal.

📝 Ingredients

• 1 lb fish fillets
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon rice wine or sake
• 1 large thumb-sized piece of galangal, peeled ((a large thumb-sized piece))
• 5-6 large lemongrass stalks, white and light green parts only
• 1 bird's-eye chili, seeds removed ((optional))
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sliced garlic
• 2 tablespoons sliced shallots
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil ((plus more for grilling))
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 3/8 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• rice vermicelli noodles, prepared according to package instructions ((2-3 servings))
• soft lettuce
• fresh herbs
• roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
• sliced cucumber
• Vietnamese nuoc cham dipping sauce ((See Notes for recipe))

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Slice the fish fillets into 1-inch thick chunks and toss with the salt and rice wine. Set aside for 5-10 minutes. If you prefer to use whole fish, score the thickest part of the fish with a few diagonal lashes on both sides.
2. 2Roughly chop the galangal and thinly slice the lemongrass. Use a mortar and pestle to pound the lemongrass, galangal, garlic, shallot and chili into fine pieces. Alternatively, you can blitz everything into fine pieces in a food processor.
3. 3In a large shallow plate or a mixing bowl, mix the pounded aromatics with fish sauce, oyster sauce, cooking oil, turmeric powder, five spice powder, black pepper and sugar. Add the fish chunks and toss well. Marinate for 30 minutes or longer if you have time.
4. 4Preheat your grill over medium heat until it is very hot. Oil the grates well, then add the fish chunks in a single layer. Grill each side for about 2-3 minutes or until just cooked through.
5. 5Transfer fish to a serving plates. Serve with rice vermicelli noodles, lettuce, fresh herbs, roasted peanuts and dipping sauce right away. Each person can prepare their own noodle bowls with the grilled fish at the table.