The flavor of herring attracts visitors from all over the world

Bigger than a thumb, herring may seem small but it has fed generations of fishermen. Not considered a specialty, not linked to export, each dish made from herring is a slice of life for coastal people.

Find the sea fortune when it is "crowded"

Around 3pm, when the sunlight is still stretching across the sea, small boats begin to leave the dock to catch their “small fortune”, herring. This slender fish, only larger than a thumb, with sparkling silver scales, lives near the shore and appears year-round.

Herring and herring dishes. Photo by Quang Nhan

“Herring is our family’s rice, without it, how would we survive the sea seasons…” – Ms. Tran Thi Phuoc, wife of a fisherman in Phan Thiet ward ( Lam Dong province), shared while helping her husband pull the net onto the boat.

Mr. Tran Van Than, who has been fishing for many years, said: The peak herring season lasts from the 10th lunar month to around March or April of the following year. Each trip starts in the afternoon and ends at midnight, then people stay up all night to remove the fish in time for the early morning market the next day. Fishermen call it a “crowded” fishing trip, hard and tireless from afternoon to dawn.

If they catch a large fish, after deducting expenses, each crew member can earn 300,000 - 500,000 VND. When the sea is not favorable, they can earn 100,000 - 150,000 VND and fish for their families. Small batches are often brought to the market by the fishermen's wives to sell. If it is the right season, the fish costs 50,000 - 70,000 VND/kg; later, it is only 20,000 - 30,000 VND. In the coastal communes and wards of Lam Dong, that small herring has become the source of life for many families. Not only does it bring income, it is also deeply engraved in the memory - a rustic dish, a part of the homeland that anyone who has ever been attached to will carry with them nostalgia.

Rustic dishes with the taste of the sea

For generations, herring has been a familiar ingredient in the meals of coastal people. Ms. Phuoc shared: “Herring is used to make salad because the meat is crispy. Herring has a lot of fat, suitable for cooking soup, making sausage or drying. The fish does not need much salt to dry, if exposed to even sunlight, it takes about 1.5 days to reach the right elasticity; if you want to keep it for a long time, dry it for 2 full days. Before processing, the fish is filleted to remove the bones.”

Herring salad is the most popular dish. Fish fillets are mixed with lemon juice until cooked, drained and mixed with herbs, onions and roasted peanuts. This dish is served with grilled rice paper and sweet and sour sauce. In addition to salad, herring is also made into spring rolls. Fish meat is mixed with cassava, carrots, green onions and spices, rolled in rice paper and fried until golden brown; served with raw vegetables or used in family meals. With fresh fish, people often cook soup with squash, luffa, sweet cabbage or water spinach. As for dried herring - a "reserve" dish during stormy seas - just need to be grilled, shredded, mixed with green mango, cucumber, herbs, fried onions, peanuts... to become a rustic dry salad but enough to satisfy even the most demanding diners.

Many tourists come to Mui Ne ward, Phan Thiet ward of Lam Dong province not only to eat herring salad to taste the local specialty, but also to buy herring rolls as gifts. Some people even come back many times just to enjoy the fish salad and herring rolls, which are "both popular and delicious".

For those who live far from home, dried herring is an indispensable gift when visiting home. The crispy, salty dried fish is not only delicious but also contains childhood memories, parents' simple meals and the taste of the homeland carried with them on every journey.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/huong-vi-ca-trich-niu-khach-muon-phuong-382545.html