This is my favoritest dish in the entire universe (aka my “death row dish”)! This is a classic Vietnamese dish, reimagined with Chinese-Vietnamese elements and made with a different marinated fish, grilled, then roasted with pancetta—all amazingly delicious in your mouth. Typically served with rice or Roast Pork Belly XO Fried Rice for the super flavor winning combo.
2–4 SERVINGS
1½ pounds fresh striped bass, scaled and cut into 1½ inch steaks
6 tablespoons fish sauce
4½ tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon minced shallots
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
6 pancetta cubes (¾-inch)
1 tablespoon Caramel Sauce
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 Thai chili, sliced*
1½ cups young coconut juice†
1 pinch kosher salt
GARNISHES:
1 pinch coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
2 stalks cilantro, hand ripped
6 slices Fresno chilies
BALLS OUT
40–80 SERVINGS
30 pounds fresh striped bass, scaled and cut into 1½ inch steaks
7⅓ cups tablespoons fish sauce
5½ cups firmly packed brown sugar
3⅔ cups plus 1¼ cups minced shallots
3⅔ cups minced garlic
6⅔ tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
120 pancetta cubes (¾-inch)
1¼ cups Caramel Sauce
1¼ cups minced ginger
20 Thai chilies, sliced*
7½ quarts young coconut juice†
1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
GARNISHES:
1¼ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
1¼ cups chopped scallions
40 stalks cilantro, ripped
120 slices Fresno chilies
1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Clean fish steaks, rinse well, and pat dry.
2. Combine fish sauce, brown sugar, shallots, garlic, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Mix until sugar dissolves. Coat fish with fish sauce mix and marinate for 30 minutes on each side (60 minutes total). Do not marinate any longer than this, because the fish will get too salty.
3. Remove fish from marinade and shake off excess. Set aside.
4. Next, sauté and brown pancetta in a pan with a little bit of cooking oil over high heat. Set aside.
5. In the same pan, sear fish with some cooking oil over medium-high heat until fish turns a nice golden color that you would actually consider paying money for at a nice restaurant like Starry Kitchen. Transfer fish into a claypot (or a cast iron skillet or oven-safe pan you can cover), and add pancetta. Set aside.
6. Then pour Caramel Sauce evenly over fish and let it sit.
7. In the same pan in which you seared the fish, add ginger, the remaining shallots, and Thai chili and sauté over medium-high heat for 10–15 seconds, or until brown. Add coconut juice and a pinch of salt while deglazing the pan over high heat, scraping and stirring in all the delicious bits of flavor (aka “the fond”). Once the sauce comes to a boil, immediately pour over fish.
8. Cover the claypot, place on the middle rack in the oven, and bake for 7–8 minutes, or until fish temperature reaches 140°F or higher.
Remove from oven, garnish with coarse black pepper, scallions, cilantro, and Fresno chilies. Prepare for the afterlife because now you can die in complete and utter sated peace and happiness.
Fresh fish is always best. If you’re picking up one on ice or refrigerated, be sure to check its eyes, which should be clear. If they are cloudy, with a stoned/glazed-over look, the fish has been dead for quite a while. Try to find a fresher fish with clearer eyes.
Ask the (Asian store) fishmonger to scale your fish and slice it into 1½-inch-thick steaks. (If you own a fish scaler, or you’re OCD like us, you’ll probably want to re-scale it at home because even the best fishmongers get distracted.) If you’re shopping for fish at a Whole *cough* Paycheck *cough cough* market, they conveniently cut them for you but charge way more than the current average price of $6 per pound. #justsayin
* Do not rub your eyes after slicing these bad boys!
† Preferably from a fresh young coconut. It makes a huge difference.