Julie Goodwin’s turmeric fish & Vietnamese noodle salad

Balmy days call for fresh and fabulous dinner ideas – like this delicious Vietnamese noodle salad with barbecued turmeric fish.

Julie Goodwin’s gluten-free recipe is packed with flavour and texture. Tender fish fillets in a golden turmeric marinade are served with a Vietnamese noodle salad of vermicelli, crisp greens, aromatic herbs and a sweet-sour dressing.

Ingredients

4 (600g) skinless firm white fish fillets

½ cup (125ml) white vinegar

½ cup (110g) white sugar

¼ cup (60ml) water

1 tablespoon fish sauce, approximately

1 small red chilli, sliced

1 clove garlic, sliced

125g dried rice vermicelli noodles

1/3 cup (45g) salted peanuts coarsely

1 tablespoon vegetable or peanut oil

2 (260g) Lebanese cucumbers, peeled into ribbons lengthways

12 green beans, sliced thinly on the diagonal

½ bunch mint leaves, chopped coarsely

½ bunch coriander leaves

TURMERIC MARINADE

1 small (80g) brown onion, quartered

5cm piece ginger, peeled, sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons fish sauce

Method

TURMERIC MARINADE Place all ingredients in the bowl of a mini food processor; process to a paste. Transfer to a medium bowl.

Add the fish to the Turmeric Marinade; turn to coat. Refrigerate, covered, for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, to make the dressing, combine the vinegar, sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir over high heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil; boil for 3 minutes or until starting to thicken. Transfer to a heatproof bowl; add the fish sauce, chilli and garlic. Cool.

Pour boiling water over the noodles in a medium heatproof bowl; stand for 2 minutes. Drain; cool.

Preheat a flat barbecue hotplate over medium-high heat. Toast the peanuts, stirring, until golden with some little blackened bits. Transfer to a bowl. Line the hotplate with a sheet of baking paper that is slightly smaller than the size of the hotplate to prevent burning. Drizzle the fish with the oil and cook the fish for about 2 minutes or until golden underneath. Turn the fish and cook for a further 1 minute or until almost cooked through. Carefully transfer the fish to a plate.

Combine the cucumber, beans, noodles and herbs in a large bowl. Toss with a little of the dressing. Divide the Vietnamese noodle salad between 4 bowls; top with the turmeric fish and scatter with peanuts. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and top with extra herbs, if desired. Serve immediately.

This Vietnamese noodle salad and turmeric fish recipe was first published in The Australian Women’s Weekly in October 2018, and published online in 2026.