Vietnamese Seasoned Fish Sauce--makes about 3/4 cup

Every Vietnamese home has this house-made dipping sauce. This sauce should have a balance of saltiness, sweetness and tartness. The saltiness comes from fish sauce, sweetness from sugar, and the tartness from either vinegar, lime or lemon juice. Some people like it spicy. Some like it very sweet. If you are one of these people then load up on the chili peppers or extra sugar. Mine tends to be on the sour side. Typically I make my sauce with the same ingredients as my mother's as it is more versatile and has longer shelf life. She usually makes huge jars of sauce (to give to my siblings and me) and does not add garlic, chilies or water and her sauce can last for months to over a year. She omits chilies so everyone can eat it. When we scoop some from the jar to eat we have a preference to add finely chopped chili and garlic. Most people I know including my mother make this without a recipe and they always come out consistent every time. Feel free to adjust your seasoning according to your preference. If you find this sauce to be too strong then dilute it with a little water or fresh coconut water. 

Vietnamese seasoned fish sauce

Vietnamese Seasoned Fish Sauce--makes about 3/4 cup

Ingredients:

1 small carrot, shredded (about 1/2 cup shredded)
3 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 garlic cloves, smashed, finely chopped (optional)
1-2 chilies, finely chopped (optional)

Method:

Mix carrot, sugar, vinegar and fish sauce and adjust the seasoning according to your taste. Add garlic and chilies if interested.

Salt-Pepper-Lime Dip

The creamy yellow-orange roe and succulent white flesh from the green crabs are delicacies that you do not want to miss eating. Cook the crabs in boiling water for about 5-7 minutes and remove. Avoid overcooking the crabs as they will become dry and flavorless. You may add fresh guava leaves, fresh kaffir lime leaves, or bruised fresh lemongrass stalks to the water for fragrance if you have access to any of these ingredients. I find that a small thin knife with a pointy tip may be the best tool to scoop out the roe from the interior of the carapace by the spines and on the central part of the body. The meat can easily be removed with a toothpick, skewer or a small knife as these crabs are small. You can do this if you are planning to save the flesh to use for cooking later. However, the ideal way to eat crustaceans such as green crabs, perhaps viewed by some as less formal or even barbaric, is to cut the bodies into 4-6 pieces and simply suck out the sweet juicy meat while everything is still hot. This simple salt-pepper-lime dip, a commonly paired item with some seafood dishes is popular in Vietnam. You may use lemon in exchange for lime. Mix it however you prefer but for simplicity, you can make it 1:1:1 ratio.

salt-pepper-lime dip

Salt-Pepper-Lime Dip

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp salt (any type that you prefer--crushed sea salt or table salt)
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp fresh lime juice

Method:

Mix all ingredients and enjoy!

Green Crab Sandwich

Removing meat from the green crabs is a feasible task but it is definitely not a job for everyone. Please check out my link on How to Remove the Meat and Roe from a Cooked Crab. Recently Dr. Gabriela Bradt graciously gave me nearly 300 crabs including about 40 large crabs from her lab and traps. Somehow I had a strange notion that she was delighted (if that is even the right word) that I was willing to haul her crabs away! Within 24 hours I prepared most of them and stored them in the freezer in bags for future use. For some of the larger ones I removed the meat to make 2 open-faced sandwiches. 

When we first immigrated to the United States in 1980 my mother came up with this butter sauce. I think it was my mother's way of helping our family become acclimated to the American ways of life, food and culture. I honestly believe that just about everything tastes better with fish sauce! Try it for yourself, instead of salt just add fish sauce. In my family we use this delicious sauce (sometimes with moderation and sometimes not) to dip or drizzle over our lobsters, crabs, steamers and other seafood. When my mother, brothers and I make this we never measure the ingredients. For convenience, we put all the ingredients together in a small bowl and microwave about 20-30 seconds or until the butter melts.

green crab sandwich

Green Crab Sandwich

Ingredients:

1 hamburger bun, toasted
About 2-3 oz of freshly picked green crab meat and roe
My Mother's Butter Sauce (see recipe below)
Flowers from Thai basil and shiso plants, garnish (optional)

Method:

Toast the bun. Divide the crab meat and roe, and add over each half of the bun. Drizzle with the butter sauce and garnish with flowers.

my mother's butter sauce

  
My Mother's Butter Sauce (makes about 1/4 cup)

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp salted or unsalted butter
1/2 tsp good fish sauce (nước mắm)
1/2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp chopped scallions (preferably green parts)

Method 1:

May put everything together in a bowl and microwave for about 20-30 seconds or until the butter has melted. Stir to blend.

Method 2:

In a small sauce pan add butter, fish sauce, sugar and scallions. Cook until the butter has melted.

Helpful Hints:

*You may adjust the sauce according to your taste. You may add more scallions if you prefer more greens. Depending on the power of your microwave you may start low at 10-15 seconds and work up to melt your butter.

Remoulade

This rémoulade (sauce) makes a nice dip for seafood, meat and vegetables. It is also tasty as a spread in seafood sandwiches such as po' boys.

rémoulade

my fisherman's platter with rémoulade
(fried soft-shell green crabs, fried oysters, fried prawns, fried clams,
fried scallops, fried chicken wings, lightly steamed sugar snap peas,
grape tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, carrot, and shishito peppers)

Rémoulade (makes about 1 1/4 cups)

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp paprika (preferably sweet kind)
2 tsp mustard
1 large garlic clove, grated (about 2 tsp)
1 tsp sriracha sauce
1 Tbsp capers, minced
2 slices of Sweet Bread & Butter Chips (pickles), chopped (about 1 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp Sweet Bread & Butter Chips (pickles) juice
1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 Tbsp minced onion or shallot

Method:

Mix all ingredients, cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Vietnamese Pickled Vegetables (Do Chua)

Vietnamese pickled vegetables known as "đồ chua" in Vietnamese. These pickles are commonly made using a combination of carrots and daikons (white radishes). This type of pickles are generally added in Vietnamese cold cut sandwiches known as "bánh mì thịt". They are also used as a condiment for other Vietnamese dishes. When I make a batch I would make a few jars and without a recipe. They are quick and easy to make and can be eaten immediately. I like to wait roughly 12-24 hours to let the seasoned brine seep through. I store the pickles in a glass jar in the refrigerator up to several weeks.

Vietnamese pickled vegetables (đồ chua)

Vietnamese Pickled Vegetables (Đồ Chua)--makes about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

2 medium-sized carrots, peeled, cut into 2-inch matchsticks
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup white vinegar
2-3 Tbsp white sugar

Method:

Prepare Carrots: Peel and cut the carrots into 2-inch matchsticks, sprinkle with salt and let them sit for about 10-15 minutes to help remove some access water. Wash in cold water and let everything drain.

Prepare Brine: Cook the water, vinegar and sugar in a small pot until the sugar dissolves. Gently simmer the liquid for about 2-3 minutes. Let it cool down completely.

Pickling Process: Place the prepared carrots in a glass jar or ceramic bowl. Pour the cooled brine over it. Seal the jar or bowl.

pickled carrots

pickled watermelon radishes

Vietnamese Pickled Vegetables (Đồ Chua)

Ingredients:

8 small watermelon radishes, ends trimmed, sliced
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup white vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp white sugar

Method:

Prepare radishes: Trim the ends and slice thinly (about 1/8th-inch thickness), sprinkle with salt and let them sit for about 10-15 minutes to help remove some access water. Wash in cold water and let everything drain.

Prepare Brine: Cook the water, vinegar and sugar in a small pot until the sugar dissolves. Gently simmer the liquid for about 2-3 minutes. Let it cool down completely.

Pickling Process: Place the prepared radishes in a glass jar or ceramic bowl. Pour the cooled brine over it. Seal the jar or bowl.

Seasoned Black Bean Sauce (Nuoc Tuong)

When we lived in Vietnam decades ago my mother made nước tương or seasoned black bean sauce to drizzle over her bánh mì or Vietnamese sandwiches to sell. Nowadays she continues to make this sauce to use as a condiment for some of our meals. It generally tastes a little on the sweet side. If you prefer a thicker sauce then use only 2 tablespoons water for this recipe. You can find "Ground Black Bean Sauce" sold in a glass jar or a can at an Asian market. The store-bought sauce is very salty by itself.

We also use this same sauce by adding a few more ingredients such as a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, freshly crushed roasted unsalted peanuts and hot chili peppers to dip our gỏi cuốn or fresh spring rolls. This sauce keeps up to a month if tightly sealed in the refrigerator. Always use a clean spoon every time you remove the sauce to prevent contamination inside the jar.

seasoned black bean sauce (nuoc tuong)

Seasoned Black Bean Sauce (Nước Tương)--makes about 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

2 tsp vegetable oil
1 large garlic clove, minced (about 1 tsp minced garlic)
2 Tbsp Ground Black Bean Sauce
4 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp sugar
1 green blade of scallions, chopped (about 1 tsp chopped)

Method:

Saute garlic in oil until light golden. Add Ground Black Bean Sauce, water, sugar and scallions. Cook in medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.

seasoned black bean sauce (nước tương)