I’d love to live by the sea and have freshly-caught fish to hand. Or even live somewhere large enough to have a dedicated fishmongers. Instead I make do with supermarkets, and the occasional farmers market and farm shop.

This is particularly galling for a fan of raw fish. The last time I asked a supermarket fishmonger if their fish was okay to eat raw he said “Well I wouldn’t…” Since then, H found a great fishmonger in Guildford (The Chelsea Fishmonger), but it’s a bit of a trek so is only an occasional treat.

All this rambling leads to a post on Cha Ca La Vong – a wonderful Vietnamese fish creation.

Crispy fried fish with lots of dill and spring onions. It’s well seasoned, and is a light fresh dish.

We had in a couple of different places.

As you can see from the above, it comes with the familiar Vietnamese triumvirate of noodles, herbs and dipping sauce. Peanuts don’t seem to be obligatory.