Many kinds of famous fresh and delicious seafood specialties. Photo: THANH CHINH
Bustling early morning market
At dawn, the dawn was still sleepy, we arrived at Bac Son market, where seafood trading activities were bustling. From the canal, ships docked to unload fish onto scales for retailers at the market. As people from the river delta, the first time we saw the bustling scene of an early market in Rach Gia, we thought we were lost in a seafood paradise. We asked our female vendors to learn the names of each type of fish. Just hearing it briefly, we could not remember all the types of fish being sold here.
Every day, vendors display fresh sea fish along the road to Bac Son market. Looking at the clear blue eyes of the anchovies, ba thu, silver cheek, quyt, thu… you can tell how fresh and delicious they are. The shiny, plump-skinned squids are displayed all over the market, attracting people from the river delta who have just arrived in this salty sea area rich in products. Many friendly female vendors invite people to buy fish, shrimp, and squid, creating a bustling atmosphere in the market.
The coastal area of Rach Gia is rich in fish and shrimp, and the prices are cheaper than in the markets in the delta. Popular fish species such as cassava, mackerel, silver carp, and fresh ba thu are priced from 30,000 - 40,000 VND/kg. If these types of fish "slip" into Long Xuyen market, the price increases to 60,000 VND/kg, but they are not as fresh as here. When people from the river delta come to the coastal area to buy fish, if they do not know what to prepare to suit their taste, they just need to ask the vendors and they will enthusiastically advise on a series of delicious dishes. We held in our hands about 1kg of very fresh silver carp, a vendor said in a clear voice, this fish can be steamed with ginger or cooked to make a hearty, nutritious meal.
The days we went to the market, buying all kinds of sea fish to eat, we got bored. Looking for a more exotic seafood, we saw a stingray bigger than a hand with shiny skin, we stopped to ask to buy it, the vendor only sold it for 60,000 VND/kg, we were stunned because it was so cheap. Because fresh stingray in the delta markets has been very rare for a long time, costing about 100,000 VND/kg. This fish is delicious in any dish, especially sour mint soup with various types of coriander, it is absolutely wonderful! The day we bought 2 stingrays weighing more than 1kg, we prepared 2 dishes: sour soup and fried lemongrass salt to treat our colleagues to enjoy.
The stingray meat is very fresh so it is very delicious, without any fishy or pungent smell. The pot of sour soup was just taken off the stove and was still hot. Pick up a piece of stingray, dip it in the fish sauce with anchovy and chili peppers, then put it in your mouth and chew slowly. The stingray has crunchy, chewy cartilage, slightly fatty, creating a sweet feeling, eating and exclaiming how delicious it is. "I have never enjoyed such delicious sour soup with stingray like this before. There is nothing better than coming to Rach Gia to enjoy the taste of the sea in the cold wind season," a colleague expressed.
Taste of the sea
After more than 4 months of living in Rach Gia, we felt that this salty coastal land is very warm with love for the land and people. The neighbors are enthusiastic and friendly, and the traders do not haggle. On the days when the north wind blows through the Southwest sea, everyone welcomes the cold of early winter very refreshingly. In the morning, walking through Quang Trung street, people sit huddled next to their fish tanks waiting for customers to come and buy. Turning into the April 30 market, we heard the loud sound of the traders selling seafood loudly. Many days, there are several loudspeakers "in unison" loudly selling sea fish. Along the road are mobile fish stalls selling all kinds of fish, shrimp, crab, squid, crab... when seeing any car passing by, the traders call out.
Going deep into the market, we met many traders selling specialty fish of the sea such as cobia, pomfret, stingray, gừng fish, snapper, squid... priced from 200,000 - 250,000 VND/kg. Traders said that this year, people in the coastal areas caught and raised many delicious fish, sold at high prices, and had better income. Ms. Kim (65 years old) has over 30 years of selling fish, so she has experience in choosing specialty fish to sell to gourmets. Ms. Kim said that this year, cobia is in season, with a high price, about 200,000 VND/kg. The bigger the cobia, the firmer and more delicious the meat is, which is sought after by restaurants to serve diners.
Among the seafood, we were surprised at the sea area why there was a big catfish. The merchant said that this fish was raised by the people of the sea in cages. Strangely, this was the first time we had seen such a big catfish. Choosing to buy a piece of about 1kg, Mrs. Kim cleaned it, then brought it home to us to process. She said that whole catfish cost from 120,000 - 150,000 VND, cut into pieces cost more. Perhaps, this fish lives in salty sea water all year round, so its fishy smell seems to be eliminated. When cooked in sour soup with pineapple and coriander, it becomes a famous delicious dish of the sea area of Rach Gia that few people know about.
On the day he went from Long Xuyen to Rach Gia for work, Mr. Le Trung Dung - Vice President of An Giang Fisheries Association stopped by the house right at dinner time. When enjoying the indescribably delicious sour soup with sea-soured catfish, Mr. Dung was also surprised. Because for a long time, catfish only appeared in the Mekong River from November to May of the following year. In the north wind season, catfish began to appear in the Vam Nao River. This is a famous specialty fish in the Mekong Delta, but now it is present in the sea of Rach Gia, which is very strange. "The fish meat is delicious, the toughness is like freshwater catfish. The fish is not fishy, sweet, fatty...", Mr. Dung said.
For a long time, Rach Gia has been considered a culinary paradise with countless fresh seafood. Coming here in the winter, if you have not enjoyed the specialties of the sea, it is considered that you have not been to this dreamy coastal land.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/huong-vi-bien-mua-bac-a468531.html
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