Tourists traveling to Cat Ba Island, in addition to swimming, enjoying the natural scenery, breathing the fresh air, enjoying seafood specialties is also a need and pleasure of tourists during the trip. Cat Ba Island has many famous delicious dishes made from seafood such as: lobster, red snapper, grouper, cobia, sea snake, geoduck, horseshoe crab and many dishes with the flavor of the sea such as jellyfish salad, grilled geoduck… It will be a memorable memory when sitting on a boat sipping a glass of beeswax wine with a dish of steamed grouper with Cat Hai fish sauce, it is wonderful.
Below are delicious dishes, specialties that tourists often choose when coming here.
Horseshoe crab
Horseshoe crab – a type of seafood from the ocean, is a delicious dish not to be missed when coming to Cat Ba tourist destination. From horseshoe crabs can be processed into many dishes such as soup, salad or sweet and sour stir-fry, especially grilled horseshoe crabs are the most popular with diners.
The horseshoe crab has a hard shell like a crab’s shell, a flat round body, and a diameter of about a hand span. The female usually weigh about 1 kg, while male weigh only about 500 grams. To catch horseshoe crab, fishermen must calculate the tide and set a date to go to sea.
The horseshoe crab are marinated with spices, mixed well, then placed on a grill, turned evenly until the horseshoe crab’s body turns yellow and smells fragrant, then they can be enjoyed. People often enjoy grilled horseshoe crabs with separated sour grapefruit, pickled radish, herbs, crushed roasted peanuts, fish sauce, garlic, chili, fried onions, etc.
Cat Ba crab spring rolls
Cat Ba crab spring rolls are wrapped in large, square packages the size of the palm of the hand. With a special shape that creates a unique feature for crab spring rolls and rice paper rolls, they require toughness, not brittleness, and when fried, they must not break. When eaten, the spring roll skin is golden, crispy, and fragrant.
Cat Ba crabs chosen to make nem must be crabs with roe, thick body, weighing 0.6-0.8 kg/each. Crab spring rolls cannot lack the important ingredients that make up this dish: shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, pork shoulder lean, egg yolk, green onions, vermicelli, bean sprouts… and spices marinated during the processing. With crab spring rolls, crab meat plays a decisive role and is considered the main ingredient of the dish.
Geoduck
Geoduck, also known as elephant trunk snail, is one of the most famous specialties of Cat Ba. This type of seafood has a long, slender shape and lives mainly in clear blue waters, where there is a rich source of nutrients. Steamed geoduck is prepared simply but retains its fresh flavor.
When steamed, geoduck meat becomes sweet and crunchy, very suitable when dipped in ginger fish sauce or lemon pepper salt. In addition, geoducks can also be processed into many other dishes such as grilled with scallions, salad or porridge, each dish brings a unique and nutritious flavor.
Sea snake
Sea snake dishes can make many people feel apprehensive, but this is actually a rare specialty in Cat Ba that not everyone has the opportunity to enjoy. Sea snakes are often processed into crispy fried snake dishes with a crispy outer shell and firm, chewy meat inside.
In particular, sea snake blood is believed to have medicinal properties and is often mixed with wine to enhance the flavor. To enjoy this dish properly, you should go to restaurants specializing in seafood to fully experience the unique flavor of sea snakes.
Red snapper, cobia
Red snapper, cobia are two outstanding specialties of Cat Ba sea. Red snapper is often processed into sweet and sour grilled dishes or delicious fresh fish salad, bringing the perfect combination of the sweetness of the fish and the slight sourness of the spices.
Meanwhile, cobia is very suitable for hot pot or steamed with fresh vegetables. Each piece of fish contains the fresh taste of the ocean, making anyone who has tried it unforgettable.
Shrimp vermicelli
Cat Ba shrimp vermicelli is one of the typical dishes that tourists cannot miss. This vermicelli dish is made from fresh shrimp that have just been caught, along with herbs, creating a colorful and nutritious meal. The broth of shrimp vermicelli is simmered from pork bones and shrimp shells, bringing a natural sweet taste.
When enjoying, you will feel the perfect harmony between the ingredients, from the sweetness of the shrimp to the fatty aroma, all creating an unforgettable culinary experience.
Through this article, we have discovered together the attractive of Cat Ba specialties. Why hesitate to plan a trip to the the island to enjoy delicious dishes and explore the wild beauty of this place?
Source: collected by An
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