A working test-kitchen ledger of ten thousand recipes.
Vietnamese · Main

Crispy Prawn with fish sauce and lime

The kind of Vietnamese plate you make on repeat. fish sauce and lime, a proper crisp, and a finish of fresh herbs.

4.7 from 2,394 cooks
Prep25 min
Cook25 min
Serves8
LevelMedium
Free to cook
Crispy Prawn with fish sauce and lime
Method

How to cook it

Prep everything first: chop the aromatics, measure the fish sauce and lime elements, and pat the prawn dry so it colours well.

Warm the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat and soften the onion and garlic until sweet and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Turn up the heat and add the prawn. Fry until deeply crisp and golden, then drain on paper and season straight away.

Stir in the rice paper and the rest of the fish sauce and lime flavours, letting them cook out for a minute until fragrant.

Add the fennel along with a splash of stock or water, then cook briskly until everything is tender and the sauce clings.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and a little acid. It should taste bright, savoury and balanced.

Tested in the Stewart & Musell kitchen. Timings assume a standard home oven and hob.

More from Vietnamese

You might also cook

Pan-Seared Lamb Slaw Vietnamese
Vietnamese

Pan-Seared Lamb Slaw

A fragrant take on Lamb Slaw, built on caramel and pepper and finished the way we like it....

33 min · Easy
Smoked Halloumi Shakshuka Vietnamese
Vietnamese

Smoked Halloumi Shakshuka

A light take on Halloumi Shakshuka, built on ginger and star anise and finished the way we like...

2 hr 30 min · Advanced
Vietnamese Prawn Slaw Vietnamese
Vietnamese

Vietnamese Prawn Slaw

This Vietnamese Slaw leans on herb and peanut to do the heavy lifting. We stir-fry the Prawn...

35 min · Easy