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

  • Ba Khia

    Traveling to Mekong Delta , you not only discovery the landscape with many interesting thing to do but also you can enjoy the local food here. Ba Khia is a speciality of...

    Read more

  • Bun Cha Ca Sua (Rice vermicelli with grilled fish and jellyfish)

    Your trip to  Nha Trang  wouldn’t be complete if you don’t try this kind of noodle soup. Not many people are fan of jellyfish but this is one of...

    Read more

  • Banh Beo (Bloating Fern-shaped cake)

    Referring to Hue , people think about Huong river, Ngu Binh mountain or historical architects of palaces and temples and Hue traditional food. Banh Beo Hue is quite...

    Read more

  • Tarpon Hotpot (Lau ca khoai)

    Quang Binh cuisine has been well-known for a long time throughout the country by the delicious and rustic food. And tarpon hotpot has satisfied the most discerning...

    Read more

  • Chao Canh (Soup Porridge)

    Like the characteristics of people in Quang Binh as rusticity, honesty, chao canh is unsightly and gaudy as Pho in Hanoi but its taste is very unique and strange. Central...

    Read more

  • Bun Ca

    Thanks to the complex river and canal, Mekong Delta has various fishes which is the main material in bun ca, the most favourite food in Mekong Delta. Bun ca in Mekong...

    Read more

  • Tam bi cake

    Banh tam bi is a specialty and one of the most famous rustic food in Can Tho. This cake is very delicious with the harmonious taste between sweet and saltiness. 

    Read 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...

    Read more

  • Halong Prawn

    Halong is not only proud for being one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, but also one of the most famous destinations for high quality seafood. Among all, the most...

    Read more

  • 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,...

    Read more

Destinations

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