• Delicious dishes made from snakehead fish from U Minh Ha.
  • Sour fish soup with water spinach and snakehead fish.
  • Fermented snakehead fish paste from U Minh forest is included in the OCOP program.

My younger brother, Quan, from Chau Thoi commune, excitedly boasted, "This weekend my family is draining the pond to prepare for Tet (Lunar New Year). If you're free, come over and eat some freshwater fish and have a mud bath too!" In the Mekong Delta, almost every farming family is in the middle of harvesting freshwater fish as Tet approaches. Some of the fish are sold, some are dried, and some are made into fish sauce for Tet, providing extra income and allowing them to prepare some local specialties as gifts for relatives and neighbors.

Farmers in the Mekong Delta drain their ponds to prepare for Tet (Lunar New Year).

In Ca Mau province, often referred to as the "kingdom of freshwater fish," the abundance of freshwater fish is such that it's not just a food source, but also a generous gift from nature. Ca Mau's freshwater fish possesses a simple yet rich flavor, imbued with the warmth and hospitality of the people of Southern Vietnam. One visitor jokingly said, "If you come to Ca Mau and haven't eaten freshwater fish, you haven't truly experienced Ca Mau." Indeed, the deliciousness of the fish here not only captivates visitors but also contributes to the reputation of "the incredibly kind people of Ca Mau."

Grilled snakehead fish.

When it comes to delicious dishes made from freshwater fish in Ca Mau, the list is endless, but the most outstanding is still grilled snakehead fish cooked over straw. After grilling, the burnt scales are scraped off, revealing a crispy, fragrant skin. The fish meat is firm and sweet, and dipping it in tamarind fish sauce or simply crushed red chili with coarse salt and a squeeze of lemon is enough to make people exclaim, "It's indescribably delicious!" Grilled snakehead fish wrapped in young lotus leaves, water lily flowers, or any kind of wild vegetable is a perfect combination, and the more you eat, the more you enjoy it.

With the same snakehead fish, if you're willing to add a little twist, stir-fry it with whole lemongrass stalks in an earthenware pot with Bac Lieu salt, and it becomes a delicious and unique dish. The fish is cooked perfectly, its flesh is pure white, retaining its natural sweetness and fragrant lemongrass aroma, making it a dish you can eat again and again without getting tired of it.

The steamed snakehead fish with scallions is a tempting dish .

Beyond grilling or stir-frying with salt, snakehead fish is also prepared into many other attractive dishes such as sweet and sour tamarind-roasted snakehead fish, refreshing steamed snakehead fish with gourd, or steamed snakehead fish with spring onions. Each dish has its own unique flavor, both rustic and nutritious, making it hard for anyone who has tried it once to forget.

Grilled perch with salt and chili.

Besides snakehead fish, dishes made from tilapia and other types of fish are also captivating. Tilapia soup with water lilies is sweet and refreshing, dried tilapia in a clay pot is rich and flavorful, and grilled tilapia with salt and chili is fragrant – all embodying the flavors of the riverside countryside. Especially noteworthy is the tilapia stewed in an earthenware pot, cooked with shrimp and pork fat for added aroma, served with crunchy and sweet winged beans, making it a very appetizing dish.

Then there's minced butterflyfish, rolled into balls and cooked with sour fermented rice, served with a dozen kinds of fresh, vibrant wild vegetables; or deep-fried until golden brown, dipped in tangy fish sauce made from the fruit of the banyan tree. All these elements blend together to create a unique culinary identity of the southernmost region of the country, rustic yet rich, simple yet unforgettable.

Come to Ca Mau! This season, there's an abundance of freshwater fish. Besides enjoying delicious local dishes, visitors can also experience the genuine and warm-hearted lifestyle of the people in this riverine region. And even after leaving, you'll still fondly remember Ca Mau, rich in the flavors of freshwater fish and filled with the warmth of its people.

Text: Lu Kiet Tuong; Photos: Hong Tai

Source: https://baocamau.vn/ve-ca-mau-thuong-thuc-ca-dong-a125140.html