Fire from morning to night grilling Tet 'specialties'

TPO – Grilled mackerel is not only a delicious and nutritious specialty but also a very popular Tet gift. At this time, mackerel processing households in Nghe An are grilling fish day and night to supply the Lunar New Year market.

Grilled mackerel processing is a traditional profession in many localities in Nghe An, however, the most famous is in Nghi Hai, Nghi Thuy (Vinh City). Grilled mackerel is not only a delicious and nutritious specialty but also a very popular Tet gift.

During Tet, Mr. Truong Nhu Hung (a grilled mackerel business in Nghi Hai ward, Vinh city) had to hire 6-7 more workers. On average, his facility processes and grills 500-700 kg of mackerel per day. During Tet, his facility grills more than 1 ton of mackerel per day to serve the market.

“After being imported from the port, mackerel will be cleaned, cut into pieces the size of a hand, and placed on a tray to drain before being grilled. Grilled mackerel is often ordered to eat during Tet or to give to relatives as gifts. Currently, grade 1 grilled mackerel costs from 250,000 to 270,000 VND/kg, grade 2 costs from 200,000 to 220,000 VND/kg,” Mr. Hung shared.

With 10 years of experience grilling mackerel, Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh (residing in Nghi Hai ward, Vinh city) said that the fish grilling process is very important, requiring the griller to have experience. During Tet, she has to grill continuously, sitting next to a red-hot charcoal stove from morning to night to grill the fish.

“Mackerel is often ordered as a Tet gift by customers, so it is usually grilled carefully and thoroughly. The pieces of fish will be tied with thin bamboo sticks to keep the fish straight and beautiful, without breaking. The grill should be about 10-15 cm from the coals, not too close because it can burn easily. Normally, each batch of fish is grilled for 5-10 minutes, depending on how thick or thin the fish is spread,” said Ms. Binh.

The fish griller must adjust the temperature and fire appropriately by leveling the coals and turning the fish evenly so that both sides are cooked evenly.

To cook the fish evenly, the stove must always be red hot with charcoal.

The workers' hands quickly turned the fish so it wouldn't burn.

The finished fish has a beautiful golden color and is fragrant.

When the grilled mackerel has cooled, it will be packaged, vacuum-sealed, labeled, barcoded and brought to market. Currently, in Vinh city, there are about 40 households specializing in processing grilled mackerel products with an output of about 250 tons/year.

Tienphong.vn

Source: https://tienphong.vn/do-lua-tu-sang-den-toi-nuong-dac-san-vu-tet-post1706674.tpo