Famous specialty of Phu Quoc, visitors only need to enjoy once, they will remember forever, 100,000 VND/kg

Herrings belong to the family Clupeidae and belong to the same family as sardines, hilsa, menhaden, and shads. They were first found in 1847 and are found mostly in the Pacific and Atlantic regions, India.

Herring is often found in the sea, when mature, weighs about 100g and is about 10-15cm in length. Their body resembles a shell. The skin and scales of the fish are bluish in color. They have a lot of bones but the bones are relatively small and soft, so you can absolutely eat them.

Herring is often found in the sea, when mature, weighs about 100g and is about 10-15cm in length. Their body resembles a shell.

In Vietnam, herring is found in some sea areas. In particular, they are the famous specialty of Phu Quoc (Kien Giang). Lam Anh Vu (35 years old) – a chef at a luxury restaurant in Phuc Quoc said: “Around July-August lunar calendar is the time when Phu Quoc fishermen enter the biggest herring season of the year. To catch herring, they have to get on a boat and take the boat out to the shore in the early morning. About 10 km from the shore, they got off the boat and dropped the nets to surround it. By 8-9 am, the boat was full of fresh fish brought to shore.

Herring meat is delicious and healthy, so it can be processed into many delicious dishes such as grilled with guise leaves, fried, cooked with sour soup, braised in ketchup, ketchup, fried… but the most outstanding thing is still the salad. And the herring salad at Khem beach is the best.”

According to Lam Anh Vu, although it is a rustic dish associated with Phu Quoc fishermen for many generations, herring salad has a very elaborate processing stage. The chef must choose fresh fish, so that the meat is fragrant, sweet, and less fishy. Then, the fish is cleaned of scales, guts, head, fins and tail removed. They used a thin knife to remove the bones and remove the meat on both sides.

According to Lam Anh Vu, although it is a rustic dish associated with Phu Quoc fishermen for many generations, herring salad has a very elaborate processing stage.

Accompanying ingredients include thinly sliced ​​onion, shredded carrot, grated coconut, add minced garlic and cilantro… All mixed with herring and sour sauce. The special feature of herring salad is that the sauce is not made from lemon juice but is mixed with vinegar raised by ripe guava, seasoned with a little salt and sugar to bring the dish sour taste and mild aroma.

A delicious herring salad is indispensable for a cup of dipping sauce made from minced chili garlic, roasted golden peanuts, peeled and finely chopped, mixed with delicious Phu Quoc fish sauce, adding a little sugar, lemon…

When enjoying, diners take a thin piece of rice paper for raw vegetables, cucumber, and fish salad, then roll it firmly, dipping it with sweet and sour dipping sauce. The fresh taste of fatty herring meat with grated coconut, the smell of herbs mixed with spicy dipping sauce will make visitors remember forever when enjoying it,” said Lam Anh Vu.

Currently, herring is for sale in coastal seafood markets or shops selling fresh seafood at reasonable prices, from 90,000 to 100,000 VND/kg.