12 Refreshing Fish Soup Recipes with Sour Bamboo Shoots for Summer

On hot weather days or when you need a light, easy-to-enjoy dish, fish cooked with sour bamboo shoots is always an ideal choice for a family meal. The harmony between the natural sweetness of the fish and the mild sourness of the bamboo shoots helps stimulate the appetite while bringing a refreshing and comforting feeling. In this article, let’s join Ola Squid to explore delicious and easy-to-make fish with sour bamboo shoot dishes right at home.

Top 12 sour bamboo shoot fish soup recipes

Salmon sour bamboo shoot soup

Ingredients:

• 600g salmon head
• 500g sour bamboo shoots
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 garlic bulb, 2 ginger slices, 2 shallots
• 1 tamarind block, a few chilies
• Herbs: culantro, rice paddy herb, basil
• Seasonings: fish sauce, annatto oil, salt, sugar, pepper, MSG, seasoning powder, cooking oil

Instructions:

• Step 1: Rinse the sour bamboo shoots thoroughly, blanch them briefly to reduce the pungent smell, then rinse with cold water. Rub the salmon head with salt and vinegar to remove the fishy odor, wash and let drain. Cut the tomatoes into two parts: chop one part finely and cut the remaining part into wedges. Mince the garlic and ginger. Wash the herbs and cut them into sections.
• Step 2: Place the fish head in a bowl, marinate with seasoning powder, salt, pepper, minced shallots, and garlic. Mix well and let sit for about 15 minutes to absorb the flavors.
• Step 3: Sauté the garlic and ginger until fragrant, then lightly pan-sear the fish until firm. In another pot, sauté shallots and garlic with annatto oil, add the chopped tomatoes and cook until soft, then add the sour bamboo shoots, stir well and season to taste.
• Step 4: Next, pour about 2 liters of water into the bamboo shoot pot, bring to a boil, and add the fish head. When it boils again, skim off the foam to keep the broth clear. Season with tamarind juice for a mild sourness, add the tomato wedges, and simmer for a few more minutes.
• Step 5: Finally, add the herbs and chilies, adjust the seasoning once more, and turn off the heat. The soup has a refreshing sour taste, tender fatty fish, and crunchy bamboo shoots, best served hot with rice.

Pangasius catfish sour bamboo shoot soup

Ingredients:

• 400g pangasius catfish (cá hú)
• 100g sour bamboo shoots
• 150g tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves, 1 chili
• 10g fried shallots, 3 scallion stalks (white part only)
• 10g culantro
• Seasonings: fish sauce, MSG, cooking oil, salt, seasoning powder

Instructions:

• Step 1: Clean the catfish with diluted salt water mixed with vinegar or wine to remove the fishy odor, rinse again, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Then, marinate the fish with fish sauce and minced scallion roots for about 15-20 minutes.
• Step 2: Wash the sour bamboo shoots, blanch them briefly to remove the pungent taste, and shred them. Cut the tomatoes into wedges, mince the garlic, and chop the culantro.
• Step 3: Sauté the garlic in oil, stir-fry the bamboo shoots briefly, then add boiling water. Next, add the tomatoes and seasonings, then drop in the fish and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes until the fish is tender.
• Step 4: Adjust the seasoning to taste, add chili, and sprinkle culantro and fried shallots on top. The catfish sour bamboo shoot soup has a mild refreshing sourness and tender sweet fish meat, making it very appetizing and easy to eat with rice.

Mackerel sour bamboo shoot soup

Ingredients:

• 2 mackerels
• 200g sour bamboo shoots
• 1 tomato
• Basil, scallions, chili
• Seasonings: fish sauce, salt, MSG, sugar, seasoning powder, cooking oil

Instructions:

• Step 1: Clean the mackerels, remove gills and intestines, soak in diluted salt water, and wash again. Wash the sour bamboo shoots thoroughly and squeeze dry to reduce the pungent smell. Cut the tomatoes into wedges, wash the basil and scallions, and crush the chili with shallots to enhance flavor.
• Step 2: Sauté the shallot and chili mixture in oil, add tomatoes and cook until soft, then add boiling water. When boiling, add the sour bamboo shoots and seasonings, stirring gently. Next, drop in the fish and cook for about 5 minutes until cooked through and infused with flavor.
• Step 3: Adjust the seasonings to taste, add basil, and turn off the heat. The soup features a refreshing sour taste, clear broth, and tender, sweet fish.

Basa fish sour bamboo shoot soup

Ingredients:

• 2 basa fish slices
• 100g sour bamboo shoots
• 1 tomato, 1/4 pineapple
• 1 chili, 2 garlic cloves
• 1 scallion root, 1/2 tablespoon sour tamarind
• Culantro, rice paddy herb
• Seasonings: fish sauce, salt, sugar, seasoning powder, pepper, cooking oil

Instructions:

• Step 1: Wash the basa fish, remove the fishy odor with diluted salt water, and drain. Shred the bamboo shoots, cut tomatoes into wedges, slice the pineapple and chili. Wash and chop the herbs, and mince the garlic.
• Step 2: Marinate the fish with pepper, minced scallions, and seasoning powder for about 15 minutes to let the fish absorb the spices.
• Step 3: Sauté the garlic in oil until fragrant, add water and bring to a boil. Add the fish and pineapple, cook for about 5 minutes, then add tamarind juice, sour bamboo shoots, and season to taste. Simmer for a few more minutes for the ingredients to blend.
• Step 4: Ladle the soup into a bowl, add chili, herbs, and fried garlic. The soup has an easily enjoyable refreshing sour taste, tender fatty fish, and rich broth.

Sheatfish sour bamboo shoot soup

Ingredients:

• 500g sheatfish (cá nheo)
• 150g sour bamboo shoots
• 150g shallots, 150g tomatoes
• Seasonings: salt, sugar, MSG, seasoning powder, cooking oil

Instructions:

• Step 1: Clean the slime off the sheatfish, remove intestines, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Wash the sour bamboo shoots thoroughly and cut into pieces to reduce the strong pungent taste. Cut tomatoes into wedges and slice the shallots.
• Step 2: Sauté a portion of the shallots in oil until fragrant, then add the fish and stir-fry briefly with seasonings until the flesh firms up to maintain firmness and reduce fishiness.
• Step 3: Sauté the remaining shallots, add the tomatoes and cook until soft and nicely colored, then add them to the fish pot.
• Step 4: Continue adding about 1 liter of water into the pot, add sour bamboo shoots, and bring to a boil. Season to taste, simmer for a few more minutes for the ingredients to blend.
• Step 5: Finally, turn off the heat and add herbs if desired. The soup has a mild refreshing sour taste, tender yet intact fish, combined with crunchy bamboo shoots and rich broth.

Sturgeon sour bamboo shoot soup

Ingredients:

• 1 sturgeon (~1kg) or 500g fillet
• 300g sour bamboo shoots
• 2 tomatoes, 1 block of tofu
• 300g pork bones
• Shallots, garlic, ginger, onion
• Herbs: scallions, culantro, dill, celery
• Seasonings: salt, sugar, seasoning powder, pepper, fish sauce, satay
• Sour elements: pineapple, star fruit, or tamarind to enhance sourness

Instructions:

• Step 1: After buying the sturgeon, clean it, remove the fishy odor using salt or lime, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Marinate the fish with salt, pepper, minced garlic and shallots, and a little oil for 15-20 minutes to absorb the flavors.
• Step 2: Wash the sour bamboo shoots, blanch them briefly to reduce sharpness, and drain. Cut tomatoes into wedges, cut tofu into pieces, wash and chop the herbs. If using pork bones, blanch them and simmer to extract sweet broth.
• Step 3: Sauté shallots and garlic until fragrant, add tomatoes and ginger and cook until soft to create color. Pour in the bone broth (or filtered water), bring to a boil, then add the fish and cook for about 5-7 minutes, skimming off foam to keep the broth clear.
• Step 4: Add the sour bamboo shoots to the pot, simmer for another 5-10 minutes to absorb flavors. Continue adding the tofu, simmering gently so it doesn’t break apart.
• Step 5: Season to taste, you can add tamarind, pineapple, or satay according to preference. Finally, add scallions and herbs, stir gently, and turn off the heat. Sturgeon sour bamboo shoot soup has a pleasant refreshing sour taste, rich broth, tender fatty fish combined with crunchy bamboo shoots and aromatic herbs.

Similar delicious dish: What to cook with sturgeon? Summary of easy home-cooked dishes

Red tilapia sour bamboo shoot soup

Ingredients:

• 500g red tilapia
• 300g sour bamboo shoots, 100g tomatoes
• 50g banana blossom, 10g satay chili
• 50ml vinegar, 50g sour soup seasoning powder
• 1 bird’s eye chili, 1 spur chili
• 3 garlic cloves, 3 shallots, 3 scallion roots
• 1 ginger slice, 10g culantro
• Seasonings: salt, sugar, cooking oil

Instructions:

• Step 1: Clean the fish, remove fishy odor with vinegar and ginger, clear all blood from the belly cavity, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Then, marinate the fish with salt, shallots, scallion roots, and minced chili for about 15 minutes.
• Step 2: Wash the sour bamboo shoots and squeeze dry. Soak the banana blossom in diluted salt water then rinse. Wash the tomatoes and cut into wedges. Mince the garlic, chop the culantro, and slice the chili.
• Step 3: Next, sauté the garlic in cooking oil, add the bamboo shoots and stir-fry briefly with a little sugar and satay to create a balanced flavor and nice color.
• Step 4: Add about 700ml of water to the bamboo shoot pot, bring to a boil, then add the fish and tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Season with sour soup powder to taste.
• Step 5: When the fish is cooked, add the banana blossom, culantro, and chili, stir gently for a few more minutes, and turn off the heat. The soup has a pleasantly refreshing sour taste, tender sweet fish, crunchy bamboo shoots combined with herbs creating an enticing flavor.

Hemibagrus catfish (cá lăng) sour bamboo shoot soup

Ingredients:

• 500g hemibagrus catfish
• 1 bowl of sour bamboo shoots, 3 tomatoes
• 1/2 pineapple, garlic, dried shallots
• Scallions, culantro, chili
• Seasonings: salt, fish sauce, seasoning powder, pepper, cooking oil

Instructions:

• Step 1: After buying the fish, clean it, rub with salt to remove slime, wash again, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Marinate the fish with salt, fish sauce, seasoning powder, and pepper for about 20 minutes to absorb flavors.
• Step 2: Chop the sour bamboo shoots, cut tomatoes into wedges, slice the pineapple. Wash and chop scallions and culantro, mince garlic and shallots, slice the chili.
• Step 3: Sauté shallots and garlic until fragrant, add tomatoes and bamboo shoots and stir-fry until soft. Add about 1.5 liters of water, bring to a boil, then add the fish, pineapple, and chili to cook. When the soup boils again, adjust seasonings and continue simmering for 10-15 minutes until the fish is cooked.
• Step 4: Turn off the heat, sprinkle scallions and culantro on top to enhance aroma. Hemibagrus catfish sour bamboo shoot soup has a harmonious refreshing sour taste, tender sweet fish meat, rich broth, combined with herbs making it a compelling dish.

Silver carp sour bamboo shoot soup

Ingredients:

• 700g silver carp (cá mè)
• 300g sour bamboo shoots, 2 tomatoes
• 2 chilies, 2 shallots
• 2 scallion stalks, 3 dill sprigs
• 4 culantro sprigs, 2 water celery sprigs
• Seasonings: fish sauce, soup powder, salt, pepper, MSG, cooking oil

Instructions:

• Step 1: Wash the silver carp, soak in diluted salt water, and drain. Marinate the fish with fish sauce, pepper, and a little MSG for about 15 minutes.
• Step 2: Blanch the sour bamboo shoots briefly in salted water then rinse clean. Slice the tomatoes, wash and chop the herbs. Mince the shallots and chili.
• Step 3: Heat oil, quick-fry the fish on both sides until slightly golden, then remove.
• Step 4: Next, sauté the shallots, add the sour bamboo shoots and tomatoes and stir-fry until soft. Add water to the pot, add the fish and cook for about 10 minutes until done and flavorful, then adjust seasoning.
• Step 5: Add chili and herbs, stir gently and turn off the heat. Silver carp sour bamboo shoot soup has a mild sour taste, slight spiciness, rich broth, tender sweet fish blending with crunchy bamboo shoots and aromatic herbs.

Sea bass sour bamboo shoot soup

Ingredients:

• 1 sea bass (~1.2kg)
• 400g sour bamboo shoots
• 4 scallion stalks
• Seasonings: salt, sugar, MSG

Instructions:

• Step 1: Scale the sea bass, remove internal organs and the bloodline along the spine. Rub lightly with salt to remove slime, rinse multiple times, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Step 2: Wash the sour bamboo shoots, blanch briefly to reduce the sharp taste, drain, and slice into bite-sized pieces. Wash the scallions and cut them into sections.
• Step 3: Next, bring about 4 liters of water to a boil, add the fish and cook for about 5 minutes until done. During cooking, remember to skim off the foam to make the soup clear and more delicious. Then season with salt, sugar, and MSG to taste, and add the sour bamboo shoots to cook for a few more minutes.
• Step 4: Add scallions, stir gently and turn off the heat. Sea bass sour bamboo shoot soup has a well-balanced mild sour taste, tender fatty fish, delicious crunchy bamboo shoots, and a savory clear broth.

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Bronze featherback fish cake sour bamboo shoot soup

Ingredients:

• 300g bronze featherback fish paste
• 200g sour bamboo shoots, 2 tomatoes
• Shallots, garlic, chili
• Dill, water celery, basil, scallions
• Seasonings: salt, sugar, pepper, seasoning powder, fish sauce, MSG, cooking oil

Instructions:

• Step 1: Wash the sour bamboo shoots multiple times to reduce sharpness, cut into bite-sized pieces. Dice part of the tomatoes and cut the rest into wedges. Mince shallots and garlic, and sauté a portion until fragrant. Wash and chop the herbs.
• Step 2: Put the fish paste in a bowl, mix with fried shallots and garlic, seasonings, and chopped herbs. Mix thoroughly and let sit for about 10-15 minutes to absorb, then shape into bite-sized balls.
• Step 3: Next, sauté shallots and garlic until fragrant, add the sour bamboo shoots and tomatoes and stir-fry briefly. Season to taste then add about 1 liter of water, bring to a boil. When boiling, drop in the fish cake balls to cook.
• Step 4: When the fish cakes float and are cooked, add more tomatoes, herbs, and chili, stir gently and turn off the heat. Featherback fish cake sour bamboo shoot soup has a pleasant refreshing sour taste and chewy, delicious fish cakes.

Mackerel head sour bamboo shoot soup

Ingredients:

• 500g mackerel head
• 300g sour bamboo shoots, 2 tomatoes
• 1 chili, 3 scallion stalks, 2 shallots
• Seasonings: fish sauce, salt, seasoning powder, MSG, cooking oil

Instructions:

• Step 1: Clean the mackerel head, rub with salt to remove fishy odor and rinse. Lightly fry both sides of the fish until light golden so the fish becomes firm and won’t break apart when cooked.
• Step 2: Wash the sour bamboo shoots and drain. Wash tomatoes and cut into wedges. Mince shallots, chop scallions, and slice chili.
• Step 3: Next, place a pot on the stove to sauté shallots, add tomatoes and bamboo shoots, and stir-fry briefly with seasonings. Boil about 1 liter of water, then add the sautéed bamboo shoots and fish to cook for a few minutes until done.
• Step 4: Adjust seasonings to taste, add scallions and chili, then turn off the heat. Mackerel sour bamboo shoot soup has a mild refreshing sour taste, fatty and sweet fish head blending with crunchy bamboo shoots and tomatoes.

See more: What to cook with mackerel? Top 16 authentic preparation methods

Notes when making fish cooked with sour bamboo shoots

To achieve the most delicious and authentic flavor for fish cooked with sour bamboo shoots, you need to pay attention to a few important points during preparation:

• Clean the fish thoroughly to remove the fishy odor: you can use salt, rice washing water, lime, vinegar, or white wine combined with ginger, pepper, and water dropwort to increase effectiveness.
• Marinate the fish with spices for about 10-15 minutes before cooking to help the fish meat absorb rich flavors.
• You can lightly fry the fish or add it when the water is boiling to limit fishiness and keep the fish flesh firm.
• Sour bamboo shoots need to be washed multiple times, blanched briefly (with fresh bamboo shoots) to reduce the sharp sour taste and remove impurities.
• You should cook the soup over medium heat and regularly skim off foam to keep the broth clear and lighter.
• Add herbs at the very end to maintain vibrant colors and natural aroma.
• You can utilize fish heads or tails to cook soup for a sweeter broth, saving the body for another dish.

Tips for choosing delicious sour bamboo shoots

When choosing to buy sour bamboo shoots, you need to pay attention to the following things:

• Choose bamboo shoots with a natural mild sour scent, not too pungent or with an unpleasant strange odor.
• Fresh and delicious bamboo shoots usually have a bright color, look clean, and are not discolored.
• Prioritize bamboo shoots with clear soaking water, no scum layer, or abnormal fermentation signs.
• Avoid buying bamboo shoots that are too white or brownish-yellow with an unpleasant foul odor, as they may have been stored for too long or treated with chemicals.
• Do not choose bamboo shoots that are mushy, bruised, or have strange spots on the surface, as these might be over-aged bamboo shoots.

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With the refreshing and delicious suggestions for fish cooked with sour bamboo shoots above, hopefully, it has helped you have more suitable soup choices for your family meals. And don’t forget to visit Ola Squid’s Blog to update more attractive recipes, simple yet effective cooking secrets, or other useful kitchen tips.