When coming to this province to attend the New Year festival, you must definitely try the dish of catfish cooked with fish sauce, which is only available in the Lo River region.

The dish of catfish cooked with fish sauce is only available in the Lo River region with a unique preparation method, combined with the fishermen's own cooking style, always bringing a unique and unforgettable taste to culinary connoisseurs.

Although it is not a high-class river fish specialty, too expensive and rare like fried, lang, kumquat..., catfish - a type of catfish, present in most rivers in the province, especially Lo River, Da River is always considered a delicious dish, easy to prepare with many ways of cooking that diners will not forget, always being paid attention to by diners in restaurants when wanting to enjoy the river cuisine of the Ancestral Land.

There are many delicious dishes made from catfish such as braised catfish, braised catfish, braised catfish with eggplant, grilled catfish... In particular, the dish of catfish cooked with eggplant is only available in the Lo River region with a unique preparation method, combined with the unique cooking style of fishermen, always bringing a unique and unforgettable taste to culinary connoisseurs.

Catfish is a type of catfish, found in most rivers in the province, especially Lo River and Da River.

There are only two types of river catfish: farmed and wild caught by fishermen for sale. Farmed fish along the Lo River in Phu Ninh district are abundant. However, according to gourmets, farmed fish are not as “quality” as wild fish, even though they look big and beautiful. Gourmets can distinguish farmed fish by their color, size and meat.

The common characteristic of catfish meat is that it is yellow, the darker the meat, the more natural or long-lived the fish is. Batches of catfish of the same size (about 3-4 fish per kg) are usually farmed fish, the fish skin is pale white, and is more crumbly than natural fish.

Clams are crustaceans with a short life cycle. They only surface in the early morning to molt and lay eggs.

The "vô vô" (or "vô" as it is also called) is abundant in the area of the Bach Hac River junction (Viet Tri City), the Red River... and is only available around the 2nd and 3rd lunar months every year. It is a crustacean with a short life cycle, it only surfaces in the early morning to molt and lay eggs, then returns to the life cycle as above.

When the weather changes, there is a lot of fog... fishermen often catch cobia. Caught with a net, after the cobia is collected, it will be sold to customers or cleaned, vacuum-packed to keep in the refrigerator and use gradually. When cooking, defrost the cobia, clean it again and stir-fry it with rice water, tomatoes, green onions, lard... to bring out the aroma and flavor. After processing, the cobia will be kept separate from the catfish to achieve the best taste...

At peak times, cobia are sold for around 250,000 VND/kg and are also very difficult to buy if you don't know the source, because they are often purchased by restaurants right after fishermen catch them ashore. Cobia hunting in the 2nd and 3rd lunar months every year has in recent years brought high income to fishermen who are not afraid to wake up early and work hard to catch them...

In addition to yeast, tomatoes, lard... which are the main spices that make the fish smell good, when eaten, the color... cannot lack herbs and spices.

Hoa Nham fish restaurant at the head of Viet Tri bridge, Bach Hac ward often prepares the dish of catfish stew by choosing good perilla leaves, fresh onions with onion heads and wormwood... cleaned, chopped finely for customers to season when eating, creating a delicious feeling, rich flavor and removing the fishy smell of fresh catfish...

Catfish is cleaned and cut into bite-sized pieces.

After being caught, the catfish will be processed, cleaned of slime, fins cut and cut into pieces depending on the size of the fish. Usually 5-7 pieces for one fish. After cutting into pieces, the fish will be marinated with onions, garlic, fermented rice, fish sauce, salt and chili... for about 15-20 minutes to absorb the flavor and then set aside on a large plate, to be dipped in the broth when eating.

Catfish meat is yellow, the darker the yellow meat, the more natural or long-raised the fish is.

These naturally caught river catfish pieces are always golden brown like this, marinated with spices and a pot of broth with the taste of fermented rice, stir-fried tomatoes... sweet and rich in natural sour and spicy flavors, further stimulating the taste buds and sense of smell of diners.

The pot of broth will be put on the gas stove or induction stove, brought to a boil, then the processed fish will be added to increase the unforgettable and unique sweetness into a nutritious, fatty dish with a unique way of eating of the fishermen, making it difficult for diners to resist the craving...

Wait for the broth to boil, then diners will drop the marinated catfish into the pot.

Once the broth has boiled, diners drop the processed catfish pieces into the pot. Usually the head and tail are added first to add a rich sweetness.

After about 3-5 minutes, customers can scoop catfish and fish sauce, add some chopped herbs and add hot broth to the bowl to start eating.

The fish will be intact and not mushy. Just use chopsticks to gently separate the golden fish from the bones, making it easy to eat and full of flavor. Catfish has no small bones, so the lean meat is rich and fatty, rich and unforgettable.

The dish of catfish cooked in restaurants is often more expensive and not everyone knows how to order this dish to enjoy.

The broth for the finished dish of catfish cooked with fermented bean curd has a beautiful color and an extremely unforgettable aroma for diners. Usually, a tray for 6 people will use about 1.5 kg of fermented bean curd and 2-2.5 kg of catfish, along with dill, onions, vermicelli...

Raising a cup of local wine, in the chilly weather, sitting and sipping, chatting about family, life, business... a bowl of catfish cooked in a pot also contributes to the warm atmosphere of friends gathering and the pleasure of enjoying the unique river cuisine of the land of origin...

Priced from 250-300 thousand/kg, farmed catfish or river fish will be sold by restaurants or fishermen depending on the quality of the fish.

However, when entering a restaurant, the dish of catfish cooked with vo will be more expensive and not all diners know to order this dish. Not too rare but the uniqueness of the combination of catfish and vo vo has brought to the cuisine of the Land of Ancestors an unforgettable delicacy for visitors from near and far.

On a Spring day, on the porch, raising a cup of strong wine and enjoying a dish of catfish cooked with friends near and far is also a relaxing occasion to enjoy delicious dishes and promote the culinary specialties of the homeland such as banh te, banh chung, banh tai, ca thinh..., to see more love and appreciation for the land of our ancestors...

Source: https://danviet.vn/den-tinh-nay-di-le-hoi-dau-nam-nhat-dinh-phai-thu-an-mon-ca-nganh-nau-vo-chi-co-o-mien-song-lo-20250206134452988.htm