Dried squid and mackerel retain their delicious taste, avoid buying the wrong one

In the harsh sunlight of the sea, trays of squid and mackerel are dried in the sun to preserve the taste of the sea and to accompany tourists as gifts everywhere.

Dried squid

One sun makes a specialty

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Lich - an old fisherman in Phan Thiet ward said that the origin of dried squid started quite by chance. Fishermen caught a lot of squid but could not sell it in a day, so they dried it. While drying it for a day, someone grilled it and unexpectedly discovered its delicious flavor. From there, the dish quickly spread, becoming a popular specialty, although no one remembers exactly when it started.

According to the processors, dried squid can be made from tube squid, cuttlefish or cuttlefish, but it must be fresh. After cleaning and removing the organs, the squid is washed with seawater and then dried under the hot sun for 1 day. The finished product meets the standards with a moderately dry surface, supple meat, ivory white (tube squid, cuttlefish) or opaque white (cuttlefish). After that, the squid is frozen for long-term preservation while still retaining its flavor. If dried in more sunlight to make the squid hard and dry, it will last longer and need to be frozen. Similarly, dried mackerel must also be very fresh, cleaned, sliced, marinated with salt, MSG and chili, depending on whether you like it spicy or not. The fish is dried in the sun for exactly one day, resulting in firm, soft, sweet meat. Users fry the fish golden brown and eat it with garlic chili fish sauce or tomato sauce, both of which are flavorful.

Nowadays, dried squid and dried mackerel are not only familiar dishes of coastal people but also chosen as gifts by visitors from afar. In particular, dried squid was once ranked in the Top 10 most delicious squid dishes in the world by the culinary website Taste Atlas, contributing to affirming the brand of Lam Dong's seafood cuisine.

One-sun dried mackerel

Distinguishing genuine and fake goods

Some products take advantage of the brand name “one sun” but the processing procedure is not up to standard, making it easy for customers to get confused. So how can we recognize real “one sun” squid and mackerel?

Ms. Tran Thi Trang - a squid vendor in Phan Thiet shared: Real sun-dried squid has a dry, firm body and chewy meat. One side of the squid is ivory white and opaque (for tube squid, leaf squid) or opaque white (for cuttlefish), the other side of the skin has tiny black and light pink dots, this is a sign of fresh squid. Only fresh squid can retain this layer of dots. The price of sun-dried squid is from 600,000 VND/kg or more, depending on the type, size and season. Sun-dried mackerel has firm, dry pieces of fish, without a fishy smell, the price is about 350,000 VND/kg and fluctuates according to the season.

According to some retailers, fake sun-dried goods are usually not dried in the sun, but only washed, drained and then frozen. When thawed, this type of goods releases a lot of water, the fish and squid meat is not firm, the flavor is not as distinctive as real sun-dried goods; the price is clearly cheaper, about 300,000 - 350,000 VND/kg for squid, 250,000 VND/kg for mackerel. However, there are also cases where fake sun-dried goods are sold at the same price as genuine goods, causing buyers to lose money.

To fully enjoy the flavor of the specialty, buyers should carefully observe the color, dryness, and number of fish per kilogram. In addition, prioritize buying at reputable, familiar addresses to be assured of the quality.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/muc-ca-thu-mot-nang-giu-vi-ngon-tranh-mua-lam-388431.html