Khmer Style Black Cod

Khmer Style Black Cod is oven baked then served with a Khmer (Cambodian) style sauce that is a savory sweet and salty combination. 

What is Khmer food?

Khmer or Cambodia cuisine is probably one of the lesser known of Asian Cuisines. Cambodia is in Southeast Asian with Thailand and Vietnam as its neighbors. 

Over the years, both Vietnamese and Thai dishes have gained popularity with American palates but yet Cambodian cuisine has remained relatively obscure to the average person. 

Cambodian foods have taken on characteristics of its neighbors; but it does have its own unique flavor profiles. Those foods like Vietnamese Bahn Mi or Pho have been adapted using elements of traditional Cambodian cooking like black pepper and fermented sauces. 

Years ago, a friend and I were in the kitchen together, and she taught me this simple sauce that would be common in Khmer cuisine, but we used it on black cod. 

The sauce is balance of sweet from the rock sugar and salty from the fish sauce. The shallots deepen the flavor and the vinegar gives it a mild tang.

When preparing the sauce, you do want to make sure it thickens a bit, you won't want it running off the fish. In true Cambodian style, you'll want to serve this dish over rice.