Vietnamese sweet and peppery fish

 

Ever since I said that I was going to write on my blog on a daily basis I pretty much disappeared and posted twice —which is very typical of me, so I'm not too surprised. Again, I have a good excuse (don't I always?). This time my disappearance has nothing to do with appliance malfunction. It was Tommy's birthday, so for a few days I was busy having birthday drinks and the likes, which meant that I had no time to cook and no time to post new recipes. But now the birthday is over, the hangovers are gone and it's time to get back on track. 

The track being healthy eating, because for one reason or another I kinda forgot about my resolution to only eat stuff that is good for me. So today I'm off to Whole Foods to stock up on grains and vegetables and seafood and for the next month I'm going to straighten this eating situation and go back to my normal habits. In the mean time, here's a really good and healthy recipe, courtesy of Cooking Light. It's a Vietnamese "caramelized" fish that is both sweet and peppery —the best of both worlds.

VIETNAMESE SWEET AND PEPPERY FISH

From Cooking Light

1/2  cup  water, divided

3  tablespoons  sugar

2 1/2  tablespoons  Thai fish sauce

3  tablespoons  minced peeled fresh lemongrass

1  tablespoon  minced fresh garlic

1  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

1  cup  coarsely chopped green onions

4  (6-ounce) mahi mahi fillets

1  tablespoon  chopped fresh cilantro

Combine 1/4 cup water, sugar, and fish sauce in a large nonstick skillet; bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add lemongrass, garlic, and pepper. Cook 1 1/2 minutes or until slightly reduced. Add 1/4 cup water, onions, and fish, and cook over medium-high heat 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, turning once. Sprinkle with cilantro.