One day, I followed the fishermen out to sea to cast their nets into the ocean. The wooden boat carrying me and the fishermen of Pho Quang (Duc Pho Town, Quang Ngai ) fishing with purse seine nets left the port the previous afternoon and arrived at the shore the next morning.
The night at sea was bright with moonlight. The ship anchored more than 10 nautical miles from shore. The high-pressure lamps on the roof were shining brightly, attracting the fish. The wind was chasing the mysterious night sea. The waves crashed against the ship, creating white foam. In the distance, the electric lights on countless fishing boats were shining brightly.
Barracuda on the family dinner table
After a long time of keeping the lights on, the fish and squids came to swim around the ship. The fishermen called it "fish eating lights". The captain smiled and signaled his fellow fishermen to prepare to cast their nets. The lights on the ship suddenly went out, a fisherman and a basket pulled the electric light along on the waves. The engine roared, the ship cut through the waves and drew a circle on the sea surface. The long seine net was cast into the sea at night...
Fishermen and machines pull the nets onto the deck. Squids with skin that sparkles like glitter. Mackerel, herring, barracuda... sparkle silver. The boat heads for shore as dawn breaks in the distance. On the wharf and under the boats, there is a bustling sound of laughter and bargaining.
Barracuda before processing
The barracudas are the size of a wrist, each kilo costs only a few tens of thousands of dong. This fish can be processed into many delicious dishes: fried, grilled, cooked in sour soup..., the best for me is braised with salt and eaten with rice. Use a knife to cut off the fins, then scrape off the small and smooth scales on the outside, and remove the intestines. Then, cut the fish into short pieces, wash them, and drain them in a basket. Next, put the fish in a pot with salt, fish sauce, sugar, sliced chili, a little turmeric powder, peanut oil, and thinly sliced shallots.
More than ten minutes later, when the fish has absorbed the spices, pour in enough water to cover the fish and put it on the stove, simmering. Boil the fish pot for more than half an hour until the water dries up, open the lid, the aroma spreads in the small kitchen, making you crave food. Sprinkle some ground pepper on top and remove from the stove, and you have a braised fish dish with rich flavor. When the rice is just cooked, a plate of braised salted barracuda appears on the tray.
Barracuda fish specializes in hunting small fish with a fairly fast swimming speed, so the fish meat is firm. Peanut oil and spices penetrate deep inside, so the braised fish is very delicious. Pick up a piece of fish, put it in a bowl, then add a piece of rice, chew slowly to feel the full flavor. The fragrant sticky rice mixed with the salty braised fish is so delicious.
Source link
Comment (0)