On Nom Giua island, people catch and grill green bone fish, a Kien Giang specialty, delicious to eat.

Summer, with favorable weather, is also the season for fishermen on Hon Nom Giua Island, Nam Du archipelago, Kien Hai district, Kien Giang province to hunt for blue bone fish. Blue bone fish (also known as frog fish, sea lance fish), is about 7-8 inches long, as big as an adult's wrist, with sparkling blue skin and bones.

Hon Nom Giua is one of 21 islands of Nam Du archipelago, located in An Cu hamlet, An Son commune, Kien Hai district, Kien Giang province.

To get to Hon Nom Giua island, people have to take a motorboat from Hon Lon port (also known as Cu Tron island) in Nam Du archipelago for about 30 minutes.

Summer, when the weather is favorable, is also the season for fishermen on Hon Nom Giua Island to hunt for blue bone fish. Blue bone fish (also known as frog fish, sea lance fish), is about 7-8 inches long, as big as an adult’s wrist, with sparkling blue skin and bones.

Bluebone fish are available almost year round, but are most abundant from February to May.

Blue bone fish usually live in rocky reefs, surface water beaches, about 1 meter deep. Fishermen on Hon Nom Giua island use nets to catch them.

When the net is narrowed into a circle, the fishermen throw a ball into the water to startle the fish and make them stick to the net.

Blue bone fish - a specialty fish caught by fishermen on Hon Nom Giua island, Nam Du archipelago, Kien Hai district, Kien Giang province.

Blue bone fish has a lot of meat, is sweet, has few bones, so it is favored by housewives because it has many nutrients and can be processed into many delicious dishes such as: grilled with salt and chili, braised with salt, cooked in sour soup, dried. Among them, grilled blue bone fish with salt and chili, and raw with lemon are the two most delicious and impressive dishes.

Making grilled blue fish with salt and chili is very easy. Just choose fresh fish (about 1.5 kg), clean and drain.

Use a knife to cut a few diagonal slices on both sides of the fish. Marinate with spices (salt, chili + sugar + MSG + onion) to taste, let it marinate for about 15 minutes; then, put the fish on the grill until both sides are golden brown.

For the green fish with lemon, just use a knife to separate the two fish fillets and cut them into pieces (about 5 mm thin), just enough for chopsticks. Mince the garlic and put it in a bowl.

Make a bowl of mixed spices (salt + sugar + MSG + pepper + lemon juice) to taste. Fry garlic fat (oil) until fragrant, then add the blue bone fish meat and stir-fry until cooked. Next, add the above spice mixture to the fish and stir-fry evenly, remove from heat immediately, scoop onto a plate (avoid overcooking the fish, it will be soft and not delicious).

Finally, to make the two dishes “sublime”, just prepare some “countryside flavors” such as: herbs, cucumber, green banana, purple flower shoots, choai shoots, mango shoots… along with a plate of vermicelli, rice paper, a bowl of fish sauce with garlic and chili. As for the lemon fish dish, you must add a plate of shredded coconut to make it “authentic”.

It's wonderful in the wild setting listening to the sound of the waves lapping on a deserted island, just spread a tarp on the sand, serve two dishes and enjoy together.

Use chopsticks to pick up a piece of grilled salted and chili fish (or raw with lemon) and put it in a rice paper, dip it with vermicelli, a few pieces of raw vegetables, or grated coconut (for raw with lemon), roll it up, dip it in a bowl of sweet and sour fish sauce and put it in your mouth to chew slowly.

The sweet, fatty taste of green fish, of grated coconut mixed with the aroma of raw vegetables, the spiciness of chili spreads to all senses..., it is truly indescribable.

Source: https://danviet.vn/ra-hon-dao-nom-giua-dan-bat-ca-xuong-xanh-nuong-thanh-dac-san-kien-giang-an-ngon-mom-20250105144141273.htm