Goi ca mai (Mai fish salad)

Vung Tau is not home to Mai fish salad but when talking about Vung Tau cuisine, people can't not remember about this dish. And Mai fish salad becomes one of the most attractive dishes in Vung Tau. 

Mai fish is quite like anchovies, white body, small less fishy so that people often use it to make salad. For locals, the best goi ca mai is when selecting the freshest alive Mai fish – the fresher it is, the more delicious the salad will be.

After being caught, Mai fish will be shaved off all flakes. It need to be boneless to be very absorptive marinated.

 

The ingredients to marinate are quite simple such as vinegar, garlic, lemon and chili. When fish is medium-rare, it will be mixed with some “bột thính” (a kind of brown rice flavor), peanuts to raise the smell.

This salad is served with fresh vegetables and rice papers. The sauce of this dish includes garlic, minced chili, sugar, lemon, vinegar, fish sauce, crushed peanuts, soda or shrimp sauce.

 

Pick up a handful of salad and some vegetables to a thin rice paper, roll up, dip into sauce, diners will feel the unique taste, along with fish’s sweetness is sauce’s light salty, spicy chili, sour lime, fat taste of roasted peanuts and rice paper.

Although the ingredients seem simple, making a delicious sauce or not is all about the art.

See more

  • Bun Mam

    Bun mam is a robust Vietnamese soup that’s packed with contrasting flavours, textures and colours. Pungent, fishy, sweet, sour, dark, vibrant, silky and crunchy, this...

  • Goi ca trich (Herring salad)

    Vung Tau is famous for Mai fish salad, Danang is famous for Nam O fish salad and Phu Quoc is famous for herring salad. It is a harmonious combination of the sour,...

  • Pho in Hanoi

    Pho in Hanoi scene can be overwhelming with its mix of smells and tastes but it’s well worth exploring since it’s one of the freshest, healthiest and most...

  • Ngán

    Ngán is a mollusk species which is popular in the Northern Vietnam coastal area. Although it can be seen along the coast of the country, Quang Ninh Province, Halong...

  • Bun Cha Hanoi

    One of the iconic dishes in Hanoi , Bun Cha is one of our favourite of all street foods in Vietnam. It’s got two types of pork, a smoking hot grill, a tangy fish sauce...

  • Khang Gai Dried Meat in Sapa

    The meat of horses, pigs are usually hung up by the H’Mong. These meat will be chopped into pieces about 2-3 kilograms and hung up in order to store. When eating meat,...

  • Fructus Crataegi Wine

    Fructus Crataegi wine is unique wine. Fructus Crataegi is soaked very carefully and then they use this water from Fructus Crataegi to make wine. Drinking wine feel like...

  • Goat Meat

    Traveling far and double-quick with poetic and fascinating landscapes in Ninh Binh without enjoying speciality of Ninh Binh goat meat is synonymous that you have not yet...

  • Hoi An chicken rice

    Hoi An chicken rice is always in the must try food list of many tourists visiting Hoi An , including both domestic or international traveler. The towns Hoi An is the best...

  • Hu tieu Nam Vang

    Hu Tieu Nam Vang, Vietnam rice noodle with pork and seafood is one of the very popular street food dishes in Vietnam, especially in the south. With the great taste of...

Most popular tours

Business info

  • Vietnam Local Guide

  • Address: 18th Floor, VTC Online Tower, 18 Tam Trinh Str.,Hai Ba Trung Dist., Hanoi, Vietnam
  • Email: info@vietnamguider.com
  • Phone: (+84) 0904989890
  • Hotline: (+84) 0904989890