Which area in Quang Nam has many rapids and fast-flowing streams with fish species? When do you catch a lot of them?

The peak season for catfish is during the 6 months of the dry season. The way to catch them is quite simple, usually by fishing with a hook or by casting a net.

In this land that is not naturally favored, anchovies have long been a food source with high nutritional value.

Dishes made from nien fish in simple meals with rustic cooking methods create a very unique culinary flavor; if you have the opportunity to go to Quang Nam, visit the villages of the Co Tu, Xe Dang, Ca Dong people in the summer, you will definitely be treated to delicious dishes made from nien fish.

The meat of the fish is white, fragrant, not fishy, and healthy. Any dish made from it is praised. Braised fish is the most popular.

To make delicious braised fish, the fish must be alive. Put the fish in a basket and rub it with salt to remove the scales. Like other braised fish dishes, marinate the fish with a little sugar, fish sauce, salt, pepper, MSG, etc. to let it absorb before braising.

It sounds simple, but to make the special braised fish dish with the right flavor of Quang Nam, you must use fish sauce distilled from anchovies brought up from the lowlands.

Fish is a specialty of the mountainous districts of Quang Nam province.

Especially indispensable are the newly dug up turmeric roots grown in the fields. The roots are crushed and the leaves are cut into small pieces about 3 cm long.

Take the crushed turmeric and put it in the fish, add some spices like salt, pepper, fish sauce... then put everything in the clay pot.

To make the fish fragrant, cover it with a layer of chopped turmeric leaves. Then, put the pot on the stove and keep the heat low for about ten minutes. Add a few chili peppers to make the fish pot more attractive, the aroma of the fish stew will spread out into the alley.

Grilled fish on charcoal grill - a delicious specialty of the mountainous region of Quang Nam province. Photo: Thanh Ly

Braised fish is delicious, but grilling it on a charcoal stove and dipping it in fish sauce and chili is also quite appealing.

This dish seems simple but is quite laborious. First, people use a thin, pointed bamboo stick to cut open the fish's belly, remove the gills, keep the intestines intact, then place the whole fish on a grill, absolutely no seasoning. When grilling, pay attention to keep the heat low, the silvery scales of the fish gradually turn golden.

When grilling, turn the fish over and over evenly. When the fish is cooked, it's the best, each fish is covered in fat, dripping onto the charcoal stove, sizzling and giving off a rich aroma.

Grilled fish goes well with pure fish sauce mixed with crushed chili. Spread the cooked fish evenly on a plate, pour the prepared fish sauce over the still hot fish.

Diners leisurely pick up each piece of fresh white fish, dip it in fish sauce, and put it in their mouths to feel the sweet, fatty taste of the fish.

In addition to being fresh and grilled, the fish can also be used to make sour soup, which is quite appealing on hot days. Sour soup of fish from the western region of Quang Nam is unlike any other kind of sour soup.

Sour fish soup here is cooked with giang leaves. To make the dish more attractive, people add a little fresh tamarind or wild bamboo shoots.

When the water boils, add the fish. Boil the water again for about 5 minutes, add the sorrel leaves and bamboo shoots. Season to taste, ladle into a bowl, sprinkle with a few slices of chili. Next, squeeze a slice of lemon into the bowl of soup. Lemon juice makes the soup look beautiful and also enhances the sour taste.

It is interesting to enjoy the delicious dishes made from Quang Nam's nien fish. And if tourists have ever enjoyed braised, grilled or sour fish, they will surely find it hard to forget the delicious taste of the fish meat and the faint aroma of the mountains and forests here.

Source: https://danviet.vn/vung-dat-nao-o-quang-nam-lam-thac-ghenh-nuoc-suoi-chay-xiet-co-loai-ca-nien-khi-nao-bat-nhieu-20240706002803291.htm