Vietnamese Sour Seafood Soup with Squid (Canh Chua Mực / Hải Sản)

What is Canh Chua?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Canh chua is the absolute best soup for a Vietnamese home-cooked meal (cơm gia đình / cơm bình dân).

Originating from southern Vietnam, canh chua is a vibrant, tamarind-based sweet and sour soup. I love the combination of bold flavors all hitting you at once in a light, refreshing broth.

The signature tartness comes from the tamarind, while the sweetness comes from sugar for that perfectly balanced base.

Like many Vietnamese vegetable soups, you can use whatever protein and vegetables you like. The only requirements, more or less, are the tomatoes (for the vibrant red color) and the green aromatic garnish of either Thai basil, culantro, or rice paddy herbs. The rest is entirely up to you.

I have quite a few sweet and sour tamarind recipes on this blog because every protein coaxes out a different flavor so seasonings have to shift slightly to keep everything in balance.

Usually, I’d toggle between a few different versions, but lately, Canh Chua Tôm (Shrimp Sour Soup) is a no-go because of husband’s sudden shrimp allergy. Since we can’t do shrimp, this Canh Chua Mực (squid version) is now our go-to.

Serve this traditional soup hot with a bowl of steamed jasmine rice for a complete meal. To expand the meal with more options, I love pairing it with something salty and caramelized, like braised claypot catfish (Cá Kho Tộ) or Vietnamese braised pork ribs (Sườn Ram Mặn) or the most popular recipe on this blog, easy Chinese-style braised pork ribs with soy sauce.

Why This Recipe Works

• One-Pot: We are only using one medium pot. There’s no need for a separate frying pan to cook the aromatics. A medium pot with thick sides can handle the heat just fine for frying. Then, simply use the same pot to make the soup.
• Less Water: We are only using 4 cups of water in this recipe. It may not seem like a lot at first for a family-sized portion, but the added vegetables increase the volume quite a bit in the end. I can’t tell you how many times my canh chua ended up making way more than expected because of this, especially when using bean sprouts. For that reason, we are starting with less water.
• Quick Cooking: Everything cooks very fast. Avoid simmering too long because seafood, such as squid, can become chewy and the vegetables can turn mushy when overcooked. The entire dish cooks in less than 15 minutes, and most of that time is just waiting for the water to come to a boil.
• Shrimp-Free & Husband-Safe: Since we’re dealing with a sudden shrimp allergy, this version is 100% shrimp-free. While squid works for my husband, others who are allergic to shrimp might also be allergic to squid. Don’t take my medical advice. I’m a food blogger after all.

How to Prepare Fresh Squid

If you aren’t using pre-cut frozen rings, cleaning fresh squid is not fun but it it’s a great skill to have in your culinary repertoire.

• Squid: You can use fresh or frozen rings and tentacles. If you’re using fresh, just make sure to clean and prep them (see tutorial above). You can also substitute with calamari since they are very similar.
• Tamarind concentrate: There are many ways to make a soup sour. You can use lime, lemon, or even vinegar, but tamarind is the classic choice for traditional Vietnamese canh chua soups. Here I’m using a concentrate, leftover from making Lao papaya salad. Tamarind concentrate is a huge time-saver because it dissolves instantly. No need to soak the pulp and fish out the seeds and pulp with a strainer.
• Vegetables: You’ll need tomatoes for that signature red color and light sweetness. I’m also using pineapple and okra for this version. You can also add mushrooms. My favorites for canh chua are enoki mushroom, oyster mushroom and white button mushroom.
• Aromatics: You’ll need fresh garlic and shallots for the fried topping. If you’re in a hurry, you can use store-bought fried shallots and garlic as well.
• Seasonings: A classic combination of fish sauce, salt (too much fish sauce can be overwhelming), chicken bouillon and sugar for balancing the sharp tang of the tamarind. If you don’t want to use bouillon, which is commonly used as a seasoning ingredient in Vietnamese cooking, adjust with a bit more salt and fish sauce to taste, or substitute with chicken stock instead.
• Garnishes: I’m using rice paddy herb (Ngò Ôm) here. You can also use Thai basil or culantro (Ngò Gai). If you like it spicy, add as many Thai chilies as you can handle.

Step 1: Prepare the ingredients

Slice the okra, tomatoes, and pineapple into bite-sized pieces. Finely mince the garlic and shallot, and thinly slice the red chili peppers. Roughly chop the rice paddy herbs for the garnish.

Finally, prepare the squid (if you haven’t already) by cleaning it and cutting it into small pieces.

Use a medium pot with thick sides, heat up neutral oil over medium-high heat. Add your minced shallots and fry until they just begin to turn light brown, then add the garlic (garlic burns quickly so they go second).

It should smell incredible. Tilt the pot to create a pool of oil if needed to ensure even frying. Fish out the fried aromatics and set them aside to use as a topping later.

Step 3: Sauté the squid

In that same aromatic oil, toss in the prepared squid. Sauté them for about one minute. Don’t overcook. They will become rubbery.

Step 6: Season and garnish

Once the flavors have had a chance to meld together, add seasonings, a little at a time to taste.

Top the soup with the fried shallots, garlic, and your herb garnish. Serve it hot with a side of steamed rice for a complete meal.

Storage & Reheating

One thing about Vietnamese sour soups is that they are all about that “just-made” factor. Reheating a bowl that’s already fully loaded will get you mushy tomatoes and rubbery squid. Not good.

To keep things fresh, I recommend only adding enough seafood and vegetables for what you can finish in one sitting. You can store the leftover broth in the fridge for a couple of days, then simply boil the liquid on the stove and cook a fresh batch of squid and vegetables in seconds.

The same rule applies to your fried shallots and garlic. That crispy texture is everything, so if you know you’ll have leftovers, save a portion of the fried aromatics on the side. Otherwise, they’ll go soft and lose their punch if they sit in the liquid.

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