This homestyle Vietnamese sweet and sour soup with fish, pineapples, and tomatoes is great all year round.
- Prep Time:
10 mins - Cook Time:
20 mins - Total Time:
30 mins
Texas had a brief glimpse of spring last week but cold temperatures have returned for another round of wintry days. I’m not complaining though because now I have a good reason to make this soup. Soup is my ultimate comfort food and this is one of my favorites.
The broth is seasoned with fish sauce, pineapple juice, and a touch of fresh lime juice for a nice balance of sweet and savory. The fish sauce will seem overpowering when you first add it, but don’t worry – it will become more mellow as you cook it and add the other ingredients.
This is really an all-season soup. It is perfect in winter when you want something warm and satisfying but the tomatoes and pineapple chunks make it refreshing in the spring.
Vietnamese Fish, Pineapple, and Tomato Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
Description
This homestyle Vietnamese sweet and sour soup with fish, pineapples, and tomatoes is great all year round.
Ingredients
- 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for serving
- 7–8 ounces mild white fish, cut into large chunks (I use tilapia)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 4 cups cooked rice vermicelli noodles or white rice
- Fresh lime juice, for serving
- Fresh cilantro, chopped, for serving
Instructions
- Prep pineapples. Drain pineapple juice into a 2 cup glass measuring cup. Add enough water to measure 2 cups of liquid. Set aside.
- Cook fish. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add scallions and fish and cook until fish is lightly browned and just cooked through. Transfer fish to a plate and set aside.
- Make broth. To saucepan, add 3 tablespoons fish sauce and cook until reduced by half, scraping to loosen any browned bits, about 2 minutes. Add pineapple juice mixture, 2 cups of water, pineapple chunks, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes until tomatoes are cooked through. Return fish to the pan along with any accumulated juices. Simmer another minute.
- Serve. To serve, divide noodles or rice among four soup bowls. Ladle hot soup over noodles, add a good squeeze of lime juice, and sprinkle with cilantro and scallions. Serve with additional fish sauce to taste, if desired.
Notes
- Be sure to use the canned pineapple chunks in juice and not the kind in heavy syrup.
Keywords: vietnamese sour fish soup, vietnamese sweet & sour soup
Brian Jackson says
Sounds extremely tasty. Just looking at this dish makes my mouth water.
GerRy says
Is it 4 cups liquid all together?
Taming of the Spoon says
Yes. It’s 2 cups of the pineapple juice & water mix + 2 cups of water.
I made this last week for dinner for the first time in a long time and I forgot how much I loved the flavors. Don’t forget the extra lime juice when serving and I also found I wanted a little extra fish sauce too. I hope you enjoy it!!
foodie says
loved it! what is the dish called in Vietnamese?
★★★★★
Taming of the Spoon says
We always called it Canh Chua which literally means “sour soup” but the phrase is usually translated as “sweet and sour soup”. I’m so glad you liked the recipe! It’s a childhood favorite of mine.