Delicious snakehead fish sauce from Vinh Thuan

As one of the local specialties and a source of pride, Vinh Thuan fermented snakehead fish paste is made from fresh wild snakehead fish, undergoing a meticulous processing process to create a rich and distinctive flavor that can leave a lasting impression on many diners who have the opportunity to try it.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hao introduces her family's fermented snakehead fish product.

Visiting the Co Ba fish sauce production facility in Vinh Phuoc 2 hamlet, Vinh Phong commune, I was given a tour of the family's fish sauce production area by Ms. Nguyen Thi Hao, the owner of the Co Ba snakehead fish sauce production facility, and she introduced me to the processing stages.

While chatting with me, Mrs. Hao's hands nimbly weighed the fish sauce to sell to customers. According to Mrs. Hao, the ingredients for making snakehead fish sauce include snakehead fish, roasted rice flour, coarse salt, and cane sugar. The steps are quite simple but require meticulous attention. The snakehead fish selected for making the sauce must meet certain requirements; otherwise, the flavor will not be up to standard. Wild snakehead fish have firmer and sweeter flesh than farmed snakehead fish, so when fermented, they give the sauce a distinctive flavor.

After bringing the snakehead fish home, clean it, remove the bones, then marinate it with a little salt for about 2 hours to allow the fish to absorb the flavor, then drain the water. Next, put the fish and salt into a plastic container; the amount of salt depends on the person making it. If too little is added, the fish sauce will spoil, while too much will make it too salty and not taste good.

Leave the fish in the tank for about a week to absorb the salt, then take the fish out, drain the water, clean the tank, and put the fish back in along with the seasoning and mix well. Continue to compress the fish tightly and leave it for about 10 days to allow the fish to absorb the seasoning.

Afterward, the snakehead fish is removed again, the water is drained, and caramelized cane sugar is added and mixed well. The fish is then tightly compressed for at least another year to produce the finished snakehead fish sauce. The weather also affects the fermentation time. If there is a lot of sunshine, the fermentation is faster; if there is a lot of rain, it takes longer.

This delicious steamed fish paste dish is made from fermented snakehead fish paste.

Co Ba's fermented snakehead fish paste is sold at 150,000 VND/kg. Customers include not only locals but also tourists and businesses from many provinces and cities. They buy in large quantities for personal use and as gifts for family and friends.

Ms. Phan Thi Minh Loan, a resident of Son Kien commune, said that she and her family members really love Vinh Thuan's fermented snakehead fish paste because of its rich, fragrant flavor, firm yet tender flesh, and chewy texture. Whenever she visits Vinh Thuan, she usually buys 10kg of the fish paste to eat gradually.

If you have the chance to visit Vinh Thuan, be sure to try and experience the delicious, rich flavor of the local snakehead fish sauce.

Text and photos: TUONG VI

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/thom-ngon-mam-loc-vinh-thuan-a426996.html