Not only is it the most famous tourist destination in the country with beautiful natural landscapes, Phu Quoc is also likened to the culinary "capital", attracting visitors to experience with a series of delicious dishes.
Including herring salad - one of the famous specialties in Ngoc Island that tourists should not miss if they have the opportunity to visit this place.
According to local people, herring in Phu Quoc is available all year round, but the time from July to August of the lunar calendar, when the southwest wind blows inland, is the biggest herring crop. At this time, the fish is delicious, the meat is firm, the taste is sweet and the price is "softer".
Here, herring is processed into many dishes and finished products such as canned herring, braised herring, herring cooked in sour soup, herring cake, etc., but the most delicious and popular dish is still the salad dish. Herring.
Because it is enjoyed directly, without going through any cooking process, herring salad is likened to a specialty "eaten raw" in Phu Quoc (Photo: Nguyen Thuy Tien).
Anh Quoc Viet, the owner of a seafood restaurant in Duong Dong town, Phu Quoc, said that in order to make a delicious herring salad, the chef must go to the market early to select fresh fish caught by fishermen. from the sea.
The selected fish must also have the same size, about two fingers for convenient processing and quality assurance.
Herring after buying is cleaned, scaled, cut off the head, gutted, boned and then washed with water. Phu Quoc people often wash herring with diluted salt water (or vinegar) to remove the fishy smell, making the dish more delicious and fragrant, everyone can enjoy.
After cleaning, herring is filleted, cut into thin slices to eat. In addition to the main ingredient of herring fillet, this salad is also prepared with other ingredients such as onion, shredded carrot, red onion, chili and grated coconut, then seasoned with spices to taste.
Next, mix the fish and ingredients with a separate sour sauce made from vinegar raised with ripe guava. This type of sour vinegar makes the fish meat more tender and fragrant. Then add a little salt and sugar to the above mixture to give the dish a sweet and sour taste.
In particular, herring salad is indispensable with a thick dipping sauce - considered the soul of the dish. To make a delicious dipping sauce, local people always prepare from Phu Quoc fish sauce and then season with familiar spices such as lemon, sugar, garlic, chopped chili and indispensable roasted peanuts (peanuts).
When enjoying, diners take rice paper, turn the raw vegetables on top, add a piece of herring salad that has been soaked in spices, then roll the salad, brush it with a thick dipping sauce, and wake up the aroma.
The soft, chewy rice paper blends with the cool taste of vegetables, the soft and sweet taste of herring and the aroma of grated coconut and roasted peanuts that make diners remember once and for all.
Ms. Vu Huong (in Hanoi) said that she had enjoyed herring salad a few times in Phu Quoc and enjoyed the taste of this dish. Even at the beginning of May, she took advantage of the rare leisure time to bring her family to Ngoc Island for 5 day and 1 night just because she "craving" the famous salad.
“I used to order herring salad from some reputable food establishments in Hanoi, but the feeling is still not as fresh and delicious as enjoying this dish directly. Therefore, I don't mind moving far, booking a plane ticket to bring my husband and children to Phu Quoc for one night just to eat "freely" the salad that the members all love, "said Huong.
At some local restaurants, diners eating herring salad are also served with a glass of sweet and acrid sim wine. The typical wine in Ngoc Island not only helps to balance the flavor of the dish, but is also considered a folk remedy to help relieve bone pain and digestive diseases.
In addition to directly enjoying the herring salad, visitors here can buy fresh herring or prepared foods from this fish as gifts for friends and relatives such as herring fillets, fish. canned, ... at big seafood markets such as Duong Dong market, An Thoi market or Ham Ninh market.
Phan Dau
