Whiting in Nuoc Cham Sauce with Pickled Vegetables and Herbs

To make the pickles, cut the vegetables into the longest, nicest rectangles you can – approximately 0.5 cm × 0.5 cm (¼ in × ¼ in) – and put them in a heatproof bowl. Put 150 ml (5 fl oz) of water into a saucepan with the vinegar and sugar, bring it to the boil until the sugar dissolves, then pour over the carrot and daikon and set aside. 

Make the nuoc cham by dissolving the sugar in 100 ml (3½ fl oz) warm water and set aside. In a small bowl combine all the other nuoc cham ingredients. Once the sugar water is back to room temperature, pour it into the bowl with the rest of the nuoc cham ingredients – it’s important the water is room temperature so you don’t cook the lime juice in any way. 

Get a large frying pan or skillet very hot, then sear the whiting fillets, skin side down. If you have them, put a heatproof weight on the fish so the skin crisps evenly. We are looking for them to be golden brown, approximately 3 minutes. Season the flesh side, and once the fish is almost cooked through flip it and then take it straight out of the pan.

To serve, place the pickles randomly on the plates, then add the fish. Mix the herbs thoroughly through the nuoc cham and cover the dish with it. Serve the remainder of the nuoc cham on the side as a dipping sauce.