This homestyle Vietnamese sweet and sour soup with fish, pineapples, and tomatoes is great all year round. It is similar to traditional Vietnamese canh chua but uses ingredients that are easier to find at most grocery stores.
- 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 a huge part of Vietnamese cuisine and there are so many different kinds of Vietnamese soups beyond the well known beef or chicken pho soup. No wonder soup is my ultimate comfort food. 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.
Is this soup the same as canh chua (Vietnamese sour soup)?
Not exactly. This recipe is more like “cheaters canh chua”. It does have similar ingredients like fish, pineapple and tomato and it has the characteristic sweet and sour flavor thanks to the pineapple and lime juice.
However, it doesn’t have some of the more traditional ingredients that a true canh chua would have namely tamarind, bạc hà (elephant ear taro stalk), and rau ôm (rice paddy herb).
Vietnamese Fish, Pineapple, and Tomato Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
Description
This homestyle Vietnamese sweet and sour soup with fish, pineapples, and tomatoes is great all year round. It is similar to traditional Vietnamese canh chua but uses ingredients that are easier to find at most grocery stores.
Ingredients
- 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice (see Note 1)
- 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 (see Note 2)
- 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 (see Note 3). 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.
- I like Red Boat brand fish sauce.
- You can also use low-sodium vegetable broth instead of water.
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.
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!!
Brian Jackson says
Sounds extremely tasty. Just looking at this dish makes my mouth water.