The craft of steaming squid with rice

In Quang Nam province, approximately 150 households in Binh Minh commune, Thang Binh district, purchase tons of baby squid from fishermen daily, steam them, and sell them on the market.

At over 4 a.m. on a day in mid-July, Mrs. Tran Thi Yen, 62 years old, from An Tan village, woke up and went to Binh Minh fish market, 500 meters from her house. The market is held on the sandy beach, where dozens of boats dock to sell their seafood after a night of fishing. The market only operates during the summer, attracting hundreds of buyers and sellers of seafood before sunrise.

*People go to Binh Minh fish market to buy squid, then sort it before taking it home to steam. Photo: Son Thuy*

Seeking out familiar boat owners she'd known for many years, Ms. Yen chose to buy baby squid, a type abundant along the central coast from February to early June according to the lunar calendar. Unlike squid, baby squid are only slightly larger than a thumb, with thick, tender, and sweet flesh.

Fishermen set sail the previous afternoon, fishing near shore during the night before bringing the squid in for sale, so the baby squid is still fresh. The boat owners sort the squid by size in plastic trays, selling them for 80,000 to 300,000 VND per kilogram.

After spending over an hour at the market, Mrs. Yen bought nearly 100 kg of baby squid, loaded them into two baskets tied to the back of her motorbike, and brought them home. Her daughter-in-law, Ms. Truong Thi Ly (27 years old), and a worker poured the squid into a basin for preliminary processing.

After 20 minutes, the squid, with their ink sacs removed, filled a basin, were washed, sorted by size, and arranged into 10 round bamboo baskets. Ms. Ly turned on the electric steamer system and placed each basket of squid into three pots of boiling water. After more than three minutes, the squid, plump and reddish-pink, were removed and placed on a rack to drain. Ms. Truong Thi Ly boiled three pots of water to steam the squid. Photo: Son Thuy

Ms. Truong Thi Ly boiled three pots of water to steam the squid. Photo: Son Thuy

The work continued until 6:30 AM, during which Ms. Ly finished steaming nearly 30 baskets of squid. "Traditionally, steaming squid only involves adding a little white salt to the water in the pot," Ms. Ly said, adding that previously, squid was steamed using wood-fired stoves, but now people have switched to electric stoves. Electric stoves heat up quickly and are not polluted by smoke and dust; there's no need to constantly monitor the time to add more firewood.

Steaming squid may seem simple at first glance, but it's quite laborious due to the heat radiating from the stove and steamer. "Doing each step requires patience and dexterity. You have to clean the ink sac thoroughly, otherwise the black color will stick to the squid and look very unsightly," Ms. Ly explained.

*Ms. Tran Thi Yen loads baskets of steamed squid onto her motorbike to sell. Photo: Son Thuy*

After steaming, the squid is placed in baskets and transported by motorbike to be sold at Ha Lam market, the center of Thang Binh district, 10 km from home. Steamed squid can be eaten immediately after purchase as it is already cooked; for extra caution, it can be blanched in boiling water.

"Every day, my facility buys 50-100 kg of baby squid to steam. One kilogram of squid, after steaming, yields about 0.7 kg. The selling price for small steamed squid is 100-200 thousand dong per kilogram, while larger squid sells for over 250 thousand dong," Ms. Yen said.

Besides selling at the market, steamed squid is stored in cold storage or packed in styrofoam boxes for sale in various places. "Squid retains its flavor and quality even after thawing, even after being stored for a long time," Ms. Yen said. Her family earns between 300,000 and 1 million VND per day from steaming squid.

For over 20 years, Mrs. Pham Thi Minh from Ha Binh village has been selling steamed squid, selling about 50 kg of squid daily. The woman, over 50 years old, says that for delicious steamed squid, the ingredients must be fresh. "Don't overcook the squid or let it sit raw. Overcooked squid has black skin, while raw squid has torn skin, which doesn't look appealing. Perfectly cooked squid has a pinkish color all over," Mrs. Minh explains.

A basket of steamed baby squid, plump and reddish-pink after cooking, looks very appealing. Photo: Son Thuy — Steamed baby squid has an attractive reddish-pink color. Photo: *Son Thuy*

Mr. Le Xuan Toi, Vice Chairman of Binh Minh commune, said that the locality has more than 100 fishing boats and 150 households engaged in steaming squid. Every day, the people in the commune supply tons of squid to markets in the province, Ho Chi Minh City, and the Central Highlands region. The commune is building a brand for steamed squid from Binh Minh to expand the market for its people.

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