Truth be told, I don’t like raw tomatoes. I see people snacking on cherry tomatoes all the times and I ask, why? Sure, I’ll be happy to consume one if you give me some olive oil and a piece of toasted bread. Layer slices of tomato in a sandwich and douse it in sticky sweet salty sauce and I will pretend to ask: what tomato? At this point, I’d like to retract my statement: I don’t like naked tomatoes.
But cooked tomatoes are another species. They’re sweet, tangy and full of umami. They form the basis for many wonderful stews and sauces that age elegantly as time passes. However, when time is not on your side, tomatoes make good quick soups too.
This Tomato Soup Takes Less Than 30 Minutes to Make
Tomatoes are the key ingredient in this sweet and sour soup, perfumed by dill. It’s a watered-down version of Vietnam’s more elaborate canh chua (sour soup), which get its tang from tamarind, pineapple, tomatoes, lime or a combination of all, depending on the cook and whatever is available. Often, my mother makes this after a fridge raid or whenever she doesn’t feel like cooking, because it requires minimal prepping.
What Makes It Work?
Start by sautéing the tomato in hot fragrant garlic oil until the wedges wilted a little (but do not crush them). This will help release the sugar content in the tomato and sweeten the soup naturally. I’ve tried making this without this first step and the soup went flat. You can deseed the tomatoes if you’d like, but the seeds are not a problem here, since we’re making a soup anyway.
For the fish, I use tilapia (which is pretty mild in flavor) in this recipe, but you can use other white fish like halibut and cod too. Salmon, I know, will be more piquant and thus may affect how much dill you have to use later for garnish.
Speaking of which, I happen to fall in love with dill (even though I’m from Southern Vietnam where dill is rarely used). Its pungent smell is prominent but not obtrusive, bringing out a refreshing quality in the tomato and neutralizing any fishy smell. For some heat, add a sliced bird’s eye chili. Ladle this soup onto rice or simply slurp it from the spoon.
Summer is coming, albeit a very different one.
Tomato Soup with Fish
Ingredients
- 500 g tomato cut into wedges
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 stalk of green onion white parts only
- 3 cups (750 ml) water
- 450 g fish fillet
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- ½ tsp sugar optional
- A handful of dill
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil on medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and onion stalks and saute until they’re fragrant and lightly golden.
- Drop in the tomato wedges. Let them sizzle for around 3 minutes or until they start to wilt lightly. Control the urge to toss them around too much.
- Add the water and let simmer until small bubbles appear.
- Add the fish and turn to high heat but do not let the soup boil vigorously. Season with salt, fish sauce and sugar.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Serve hot and garnish with plenty of dill.
Rodo
Món này mẹ em cũng hay nấu nè. Cám ơn chị đã chia sẻ để em có thể tự nấu <3