Not everyone dares to try Bac Ninh specialties, Hanoi customers order 60km delivery home

Although it does not need to be cooked with heat, thanks to the elaborate preparation process and some ingredients and spices, this dish has become a famous specialty of Bac Ninh, attracting gourmets to enjoy.

Grass carp salad is a famous specialty of the people living along the Cau River in Bac Ninh province (formerly Bac Giang province).

This salad was voted into the list of 10 specialty dishes in the Vietnam Culinary Record (2012) and the top 100 Vietnamese specialty dishes 2020 - 2021 announced by the Vietnam Record Organization (Vietkings) and Top Vietnam Organization (VietTop).

Grass carp salad is a famous specialty in Bac Ninh . Photo: Hai Go

Mr. Nguyen Hai - a long-time chef in Xuan Cam commune (Bac Ninh province) said that although the specialty of grass carp salad does not need to be cooked or heated, it requires a meticulous preparation process to ensure quality and hygiene.

According to his experience, to make a delicious salad, you have to choose fresh silver carp, about 7-8 ounces each. If you use fish that are too small, the meat will be mushy and difficult to filter; if you use fish that are too big, the meat will be fatty and have a lot of fat, making the salad not delicious.

“The best carp for salad is caught by hook or net, because fish caught by bailing out of ponds often have a muddy, fishy smell.

In particular, you should choose fish raised naturally in clean ponds, without using growth-promoting products to ensure the fish meat is firm, chewy, delicious, sweet and fragrant," said Mr. Hai.

The process of preparing grass carp to make salad requires the chef to have experience and skills. Photo: Hai fish salad

Before processing, fresh silver carp are washed, scaled, gills and intestines removed, then drained and patted dry with paper towels.

The fish is cut into 3 pieces, the head is kept separate for dipping sauce, the body will be skinned, filleted to get the meat, and the bones will be separated.

The fish meat filling process is very important. The chef must sharpen his knife and skillfully slice the meat from both sides of the fish, starting from the tail up. To make it easier to eat and avoid small bones, locals mainly use the fish's flank to fillet the fish.

“After filleting, continue to wrap the silver carp meat in tissue paper many times so that when slicing, the meat is dry, clear white with a bit of pink like pork tenderloin.

The person slicing must also use a sharp knife to slice the meat thinly and into bite-sized pieces," the chef added.

Fish sauce (seeds) is one of the indispensable ingredients of Bac Ninh carp salad specialty and is considered the soul of the dish. Photo: Where to eat what?

After preparing the meat, people continue to make the salad dipping sauce (locally called "hat").

The cleaned fish head is chopped into small pieces, as fine as ground powder, but not ground to avoid reducing the delicious taste. Then add fresh galangal juice, soy sauce (or shrimp paste), rice vinegar, salt, MSG... in appropriate proportions.

Heat the mixture on the stove, reduce heat to simmer. This step must be stirred continuously and evenly so that the grains have a thick, sticky consistency like rice cake.

Before eating, the locals start mixing the fish salad. After the fish is thinly sliced ​​and drained, it is mixed with galangal residue, rice bran, and can add a little chili, fresh garlic, galangal, and fresh ginger for fragrance.

Marinating ingredients must be squeezed dry to avoid making the salad wet or soggy.

Fresh silver carp meat when mixed must be dry, drained, and pink in color. Photo: Hai Go

When enjoying, people put the grass carp salad on a tray, surrounded by more than a dozen types of "homegrown" ingredients such as perilla leaves, chrysanthemum, serrated leaves, fig leaves, figs, polyscias fruticosa leaves, green bananas, sour star fruit, chili, betel leaves, perilla...

These are all local wild fruits, leaves, and vegetables. Eating them with fish salad helps neutralize the flavor, ensures safety, and also brings some health benefits.

“Fish salad is a raw dish and does not need to be cooked. However, people can re-cook the meat with galangal juice and combine it with hot spices such as galangal and chili,” Hai shared.

This specialty dish is made from raw fish, so not everyone dares to try it in Bac Ninh, but those who are used to it find it delicious. Photo: Hai Goi Ca

Having had the opportunity to enjoy Bac Ninh carp salad, Mr. Ngo Dung (Hanoi) was very impressed with the fresh and cool dish. He rated this as a favorite drinking dish, although it is "picky" about the eater, but if you get used to it, you will like it.

“I have tried eel salad or fish salad in some other localities, but I find that Bac Ninh carp salad has its own delicious flavor, and I remember it right away after eating it once.

The way to enjoy this dish is similar to other salads. You can arrange fig leaves into a funnel shape, put fish and some vegetables inside, then sprinkle seeds on top. Or, easier, roll the ingredients in a large leaf, dip it in seeds, and eat it,” Mr. Dung described.

Not only loved by locals, Bac Ninh carp salad is now widely spread to many localities, attracting diners to enjoy. Photo: Used to

This customer commented that the carp salad was skillfully prepared so it no longer had a fishy taste, had a fragrant smell and especially had the fatty taste of the seeds.

Occasionally, if he cannot come to enjoy it in person, Mr. Dung also orders carp salad from a familiar restaurant in Bac Ninh to bring home.

He said that with a distance of about 60-70km and travel time of about 1-1.5 hours, the salad when transported to Hanoi still retains its fresh quality.

“Some local restaurants ship silver carp salad to neighboring provinces and cities. Delivery time is no more than 3 hours and the dish is still guaranteed to be fresh and delicious thanks to being vacuum-sealed and properly preserved,” he said.

Autumn specialties in Ha Tinh are sweeter the more they wither, Hanoi visitors buy hundreds of fruits to eat gradually . Around the 7th and 8th lunar months, the specialty fruits in Ha Tinh enter harvest season, sought after by diners from near and far, and displayed on altar trays because of their beautiful appearance, delicious taste, and affordable price.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dac-san-bac-ninh-khong-phai-ai-cung-dam-thu-khach-ha-noi-goi-ship-60km-ve-nha-2446119.html