Strange dish made from crocodile meat won first prize for student startup idea

The project “dried crocodile with lemon leaves” by a group of students from Soc Trang Vocational College has surpassed hundreds of projects to win first prize at the 2025 student startup idea competition organized by the Ministry of Education and Training.

The group consists of 5 members, including 2 senior students (Luu Phung Ngoc Tuyet and Thach Truc Nhu) and 3 first-year students (Huynh Hoang Duy, Do Minh Diep and Do Thi My Hang), all majoring in Seafood Processing and Preservation.

From crocodile meat, a group of students from Soc Trang Vocational College created a fast food dish with the unique name “dried crocodile with lemon leaves”, winning first prize in the student competition for their startup idea. From right to left are Do Minh Diep, Do Thi My Hang, Luu Phung Ngoc Tuyet, Thach Truc Nhu, Huynh Hoang Duy and instructor Huynh Thi Thuy Tien.

Group leader Ngoc Tuyet said the group came up with this idea because in the living area - the Mekong Delta, crocodile farming models for skin are very developed; however, crocodile meat is only considered a by-product, with very low economic value.

“Currently, products processed from crocodile meat are very limited on the market, mainly frozen crocodile fillets, frozen ribs, and crocodile floss at low prices. The selling price of crocodile meat after skinning in Soc Trang province is only 10,000 - 20,000 VND/kg; and the price of crocodile meat after filleting is only 30,000 - 45,000 VND/kg. Even the majority of the remaining is used as animal feed at a very cheap price. Through research, crocodile meat is not very popular, while its nutritional value is high and low in fat,” Tuyet said about the reason the group chose this type of meat as the ingredient.

The group also cooperates with households that raise crocodiles for export skin to proactively source raw materials. After finalizing the raw materials, the group continues to think about what dishes to prepare.

“We tried to process and taste it and found that the structure of crocodile meat is somewhat similar to chicken. Therefore, we thought of making instant food from crocodile meat. The group saw that the demand for instant food is increasing. In the market, most instant dried products are made from high-value ingredients such as squid, beef, snakehead fish, tra fish, and chicken, so the price of the products is also quite high. Instant products from crocodile ingredients are not diverse at present, so the group decided to try making dried crocodile with lemon leaves,” Tuyet said about the process of creating a product that has never been on the market.

However, raw crocodile meat is very fishy and this is also the biggest difficulty the group has to overcome. The group has to remove the fishy smell with spices such as ginger, lemongrass, then boil and dry it, before processing shredded crocodile meat with lemongrass, chili, and lemon leaves. “First, we have to wash the crocodile meat thoroughly, then boil and shred it, mix the spices and dry it. When processing, we have a secret to make the fish meat not fishy - that is also the most important thing when making this dried product. At all stages, each step requires total concentration, careful work, and no sloppiness. Our current product has completely lost the fishy smell of crocodile meat,” the group of students said about the general process.

Crocodile meat is processed before going through the drying stage. Photo: NVCC.

The most important thing in the project is the time, temperature, drying method and the right amount of spices. “The drying temperature and time are very important; if not guaranteed, it will affect the aesthetics, softness and nutritional value of the product,” Tuyet said.

The group said that the ingredients of the product include: crocodile meat, lemon leaves, chili, lemongrass, garlic, shallots, and spices. To get the most satisfactory taste, the group had to experiment with many mixing recipes. The group also chose to buy crocodiles weighing 20kg or more, because the meat fibers are thicker. “After steaming, we have to tear the meat apart. If the crocodile is small, the meat fibers will not be thick, long, and beautiful,” Tuyet said.

According to the group, when finalizing the formula, the product processing process was quite simple. “With the major in Seafood Processing and Preservation, we have a subject called Dry Processing, so we applied it to the process to create a standard dry product. The processing process of the finished product can be carried out at large-scale dry processing facilities,” Tuyet shared.

The finished product from crocodile meat is called "dried crocodile with lemon leaves".

The group of students said that they were lucky to always have the support of their instructor (Ms. Huynh Thi Thuy Tien) and the support of the school in creating conditions for them to use machinery and equipment to carry out the project.

With a product that has never been on the market, the group also targets young people aged 12-30, who have a great need for instant food, convenient to use at a low price. However, the product with high nutritional value and low fat is also suitable for all users, from children, adults to the elderly.

The group's product "dried crocodile with lemon leaves" is well received by many people, with positive reviews.

According to the group, the low price means that dried crocodile with lemon leaves can completely compete with other products already on the market.

The group's products were also distributed and tested at the school canteen and brought positive results. "After testing the product in the school canteen in small bags for people to try, we were very happy that the product was well received by many people. During the competition days at the national student startup competition, the group also set up a booth to sell and in just one morning, more than 4 kg of dried crocodile with a total of 80 products were sold out."

The group of students said that in the future they will register this product's brand and distribute it to stores in Soc Trang province.

“If the school continues to support us with machinery and equipment, we will produce and develop services right at school,” the group of young people said.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/mon-an-la-tu-thit-ca-sau-doat-giai-nhat-y-tuong-khoi-nghiep-sinh-vien-2396823.html