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

  • Nem nuong Dalat

    One of the most famous dishes in Dalat that you try is Nem nuong. If you have a chance to try once time, you will find another chance to try it again. 

  • Lau mam

    Mekong Delta has many rivers and canals so it is reason why Mekong Delta has many different kind of seafood. Therefore, the famous food in Mekong delta is often related...

  • 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...

  • Nem Chua Yen Mac

    Most versions of Nem chua can be distinguished by their name, which is usually named after the area it originated from, such as nem Thanh Hoa, nem Dong Ba in the ancient...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • Bun rieu

    Bun rieu is one of the lesser-known noodle soups in Vietnamese cuisine, perhaps due to its rather unappealing hodge-podge, thrown-together appearance. However, each part of...

  • Top 10 Street Drinks in Hanoi

    Hanoi is not only famous for street foods but also for cool and healthy street drinks.

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