From morning till night, the fire burns brightly as people grill 'specialties' for Tet.

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

Grilled mackerel is a traditional craft in many localities in Nghe An province; however, it is most famous in Nghi Hai and Nghi Thuy districts (Vinh City). Grilled mackerel is not only a delicious and nutritious delicacy but also a very popular gift during Tet (Lunar New Year).

During Tet (Lunar New Year), Mr. Truong Nhu Hung (a grilled mackerel business owner in Nghi Hai ward, Vinh city) has to hire an additional 6-7 workers. On average, his establishment processes and grills 5-7 quintals of mackerel per day. During the Lunar New Year, his establishment grills more than 1 ton of mackerel daily to serve the market.

“After being imported from the port, the mackerel is washed clean, cut into hand-sized pieces, and placed on a rack to drain before being grilled. Grilled mackerel is often ordered for Tet (Lunar New Year) celebrations or as gifts for relatives. Currently, grade 1 grilled mackerel costs from 250,000 to 270,000 VND/kg, while 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 grilling process is very important and requires experience. During Tet (Lunar New Year), she has to grill continuously, sitting by the blazing charcoal stove from morning till night.

“Mackerel is often ordered as a Tet gift, so it's usually grilled thoroughly and carefully. Thin bamboo skewers are used to keep the fish straight and prevent it from breaking apart. The grill is positioned about 10-15 cm from the charcoal, not too close as it can easily burn. Each batch of fish is usually grilled for 5-10 minutes, depending on how densely the fish is arranged,” Ms. Binh explained.

The person grilling the fish must adjust the temperature and fire accordingly by moving the charcoal and flipping the fish regularly so that it cooks evenly on both sides.

To ensure the fish cooks evenly, the charcoal in the stove must always be burning brightly.

The workers' hands moved quickly, turning the fish to prevent it from burning.

The finished fish dish has a beautiful golden color and a wonderful aroma.

Once the grilled mackerel has cooled, it is packaged, vacuum-sealed, labeled with a barcode, and then marketed. Currently, there are about 40 households in Vinh City specializing in processing grilled mackerel products, with an annual output of approximately 250 tons.

Tienphong.vn

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