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

  • Halong Snails

    Favored by the Mother Nature as an unbelievably beautiful coastal province, Halong is famous for its variety of fresh and delicious seafood specialties such as crabs, prawns,...

  • Ta Hien's Beer

    Drinking beer, chatting with friend in the corner street in Hanoi  is the most greatest feeling when you come and enjoy the atmosphere here. 

  • Ca Phe Sua Da

    Ca phe sua da is said in Vietnam to be a bridge between those who enjoy drinking it together. Popular belief holds that it makes things easier to say, helps people to relax...

  • Pau Play Day Cake

    Round sticky rice cake is made from glutinous rice. Glutinous rice is soaked in water about 2 hours and then pours it into the pot. After that, sticky rice will be put into...

  • Top 5 Coffee Shops in Hanoi

    For a long time, drinking coffee has become an indispensable habit of Vietnamese people. Coffee is considered the culinary culture of Vietnam. Here are top 5 best Coffee...

  • Bo bia

    Bo bia is one of those street snacks that tends to be overlooked by the average travelling street muncher. Maybe it’s due to its similarity in appearance to goi cuon,...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • Khau Thuy Cake

    Khau Thuy cake is a specialty food of  Bac Kan and an indispensible food in Long Tong festival to worship the gods and hope for good weather and harvest.

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