Caramelized Garlic Fish
Updated September 11, 2026
Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne.
- Ready In
- 20 min
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon hot water
1 tablespoon grapeseed, canola or other neutral-flavored oil
3 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 pound cod, catfish or other flaky white fish fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
A small handful of cilantro leaves and tender stems, coarsely chopped
Steamed rice, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 to 4 servings)
22 grams carbs; 57 milligrams cholesterol; 237 calories; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 6 grams fat; 767 milligrams sodium; 25 grams protein; 7 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Put the sugar in a large saucepan and crush any clumps. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon water over the sugar to dampen it and set over medium heat. Cook without stirring until the sugar melts to a dark gold, swirling the pan if needed to evenly brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Step 2
Add the oil and garlic, and cook, stirring, until the garlic is evenly coated and just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the fish sauce and remaining 2 tablespoons water, and cook, stirring, until any sugar clumps dissolve and the sauce bubbles.
- Step 3
Add the fish in a single layer, reduce the heat to medium-low and partly cover. Cook, turning once, until just opaque on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Uncover and continue simmering until the fish is just opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Step 4
Remove from the heat, generously grind black pepper all over and top with cilantro. If the fish hasn’t already flaked apart, gently nudge it into smaller pieces to soak up all the sauce and serve immediately over rice or noodles.
Private Notes
Comments
Using 1 tsp vinegar instead of water (Step 1) allows caramelization much faster (at lower temperature). Harold McGee, in "On Food & Cooking" notes that acid pH catalyzes hydrolysis of sucrose into glucose and fructose. It then helps convert glucose to fructose. Fructose caramelizes at 105-110 C (water boils at 100C), while sucrose requires 160-170C, enough to burn you seriously if a drop lands on you. NB: Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce) uses vinegar (+fish sauce, sugar, chile & garlic)_
Hi Donna, When I use frozen fish, I do thaw it first. If I have time, I lay it on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels on a plate in the refrigerator to slow-thaw and to soak up excess liquid. I buy individually quick frozen fillets and when I'm in a rush, I put those well-sealed packets in a bowl of cold water to thaw. Cod is usually ready in 10 minutes or so. You can cook from frozen, but the sauce will end up more watery and the fish may end up unevenly cooked. Happy cooking!
This simple, delicious recipe also works with fatty meat (e.g., pork shoulder/belly) cut into bite-size pieces or smaller, but because of the vastly different cook times, the meat typically needs separate searing/braising with a little salt+pepper+oil (very little oil: the fat is soon released) before combining with the caramel sauce. (Search the web for "Vietnamese Caramel Pork"- several variations exist.)
This dish was delicious. Husband is a chef and he gave it 5 stars. Next time I’ll double up on the sauce.
I really, really wanted to like this, but it was just kind of meh to me. The family, however, went back for seconds. The best part was watching the sugar cook! Yeah, I’m easily entertained, lol.
I like the idea of adding white vinegar. It was very sweet for my taste. So vinegar might moderate that.