Grilled shrimp, a specialty of Ca Mau, is incredibly delicious during the Tet holiday.

Grilled shrimp from Ca Mau's Ca Mau Cape region is an indispensable dish to serve guests whenever they visit, especially during Tet (Lunar New Year).

In the past, natural shrimp were abundant, and the fishing activities of people in Ca Mau yielded very high production, mainly of white shrimp, silver shrimp, and red-tailed shrimp. Although a large quantity of shrimp was harvested, few people bought them; most were consumed or used to make dried shrimp, but the prices were not high.

Therefore, after harvesting shrimp, in addition to processing them into dishes such as fresh shrimp, dried shrimp, shrimp patties, shrimp crackers, shrimp paste, etc., the people of Ca Mau came up with the idea of ​​making grilled shrimp skewers to eat gradually.

The main ingredient for making shrimp skewers must be fresh, live shrimp.

To make shrimp skewers, choose fresh, large shrimp and wash them thoroughly. Peel the shrimp, keeping only the tails so that when dried, the tails will spread out attractively.

After peeling, the shrimp are seasoned and skewered onto thin strips of coconut or bamboo, with each skewer containing 10-20 shrimp. Then, they are gently pressed with a knife to slightly flatten the shrimp bodies before drying. The shrimp skewers are simply peeled, skewered, and dried without any additional seasoning. However, depending on individual taste and preference, some people may season them with soy sauce, MSG, garlic, chili, etc., or dip them in ash water before drying.

The peeled shrimp are marinated with spices, skewered, and then sun-dried.

When drying, the strings of shrimp are hung on trees or placed on racks to catch as much sunlight as possible, allowing them to dry quickly. After about a day of drying, the shrimp are packaged and stored in the refrigerator for later use. To obtain 1 kilogram of dried shrimp, you need 4-6 kilograms of fresh shrimp, depending on the degree of drying required.

To meet consumer demand, Ca Mau currently has many facilities producing dried split shrimp.

Due to the labor-intensive processing method, grilled shrimp is quite expensive, ranging from 1 to 1.4 million VND/kg (depending on the size and dryness of the shrimp). With its uniquely delicious flavor, not trying grilled shrimp when you have the chance to visit Ca Mau would be a "missed opportunity".

Shrimp fillets and shrimp skewers are sold at prices ranging from 1 to 1.4 million VND per kilogram.

Mr. Nguyen Van Mien, who has been making dried shrimp for many years in Dam Doi District (Ca Mau), said that you can tell if the shrimp is good or not just by looking at its color. Naturally dried shrimp, without the use of artificial coloring, will have a reddish-orange color from the shrimp roe, a natural aroma, and not a strong fishy smell. Shrimp dried in strong sunlight will dry quickly and not become mushy; the right level of dryness will preserve the sweetness.

Besides whiteleg shrimp and mud shrimp, tiger shrimp are also used by people in Ca Mau to make grilled shrimp skewers.

Regarding how to prepare grilled shrimp skewers, they can be grilled over charcoal or using alcohol or 45-degree spirits. Because grilled shrimp skewers cook very quickly and burn easily, they need to be turned constantly while grilling to preserve their sweet flavor, firm texture, and distinctive aroma.

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