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 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

  • Grilled fish in Ba Be Lake

    Ba Be lake is the largest fresh water in Vietnam so it provides a huge source of fresh fish. And grilled fish is the most famous dish and become a specialty of  Ba Be...

    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

  • Lau ca duoi (Sawfish hot pot)

    Sawfish hot pot has been considered as a famous specialty and represented for Vung Tau cuisine. Sawfish is very delicious and strange that makes tourist can’t forget if...

    Read more

  • Cong Cake

    Cong Cake is a rustic and simple cake which is cheap but very delicious. If you have a chance to try cong cake once time, you can’t forget the taste of this cake. 

    Read more

  • 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...

    Read 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,...

    Read more

  • 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...

    Read more

  • 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...

    Read more

  • 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...

    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