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Dec 25, 2024 · 5 min read
Nha Trang Mai fish salad is an attractive specialty of the coastal city of Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa, Vietnam. The dish brings diners an unforgettable taste experience with crispy and sweet Mai fish meat, perfectly combined with sour, spicy and fatty dipping sauce.
1. A few words about mai fish salad
Nha Trang anchovy salad is still considered the best. Anchovy is quite small, only the size of 2 fingertips, white, finless, smooth, somewhat like anchovies. In particular, this fish has delicious meat and is not fishy. Thanks to this characteristic, anchovy is often processed into salad.
Mai fish salad is a familiar dish that you can easily find in many coastal cities such as: Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Ninh Thuan, Quy Nhon, Vung Tau... The way to make Mai fish salad in each place has certain differences that create a unique flavor. In particular, Nha Trang Mai fish salad stands out with its attractive flavor thanks to the fresh and selected ingredients and meticulous preparation.
Mai fish salad is a unique dish, living in brackish water so it is very good for health, strange taste is loved by many people. What makes this dish quintessential is the sweet, fresh layers of mai fish meat served with a special dipping sauce. Mai fish has a natural sweetness, served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce made from tamarind will stimulate the taste buds "to the extreme".
Mai fish salad in Nha Trang is meticulously and elaborately prepared. Fresh mai fish are selected, scaled, head and tail removed, backbone removed and sliced into strips. This step must be done skillfully, requiring gentleness and firmness so as not to lose the crispness and sweetness of the fish meat.
Next, the anchovy meat will be cooked by mixing it with lime juice, tamarind, star fruit or vinegar depending on the recipe of each restaurant. After being cooked, the anchovy meat will change from clear white to ivory white.
The chef will then present the anchovy meat on a plate, possibly sprinkling some fragrant rice powder on top. The Nha Trang anchovy dish is completed when mixed with a seasoned salad mixture. The salad mixture usually includes onions, julienned ginger, and shredded herbs such as Vietnamese coriander, basil, coriander, perilla, fish mint, etc.
2. How to make Nha Trang anchovy salad dipping sauce - the deciding factor in the deliciousness of anchovy salad
The dipping sauce is the next element that helps Nha Trang anchovy salad become more flavorful and well-rounded. To increase the deliciousness of the dipping sauce, chefs often use anchovy bone broth to cook it thickly with rice bran and let it cool.
This mixture is mixed with a little minced meat, good fish sauce, garlic, chili, sugar, lemon juice, roasted sesame, ground peanuts in the right proportion. The finished dipping sauce is orange-yellow, smooth with a rich, sweet, sour, spicy and salty flavor.
3. Suggest some places to eat delicious and authentic Nha Trang anchovy salad
Most of the eateries and seafood restaurants in Nha Trang serve the famous mai fish salad. Below are some suggestions that you can choose to enjoy the fresh and flavorful mai fish salad in Nha Trang:
3.1. Cay Canh Restaurant - "delicious, sweet, fresh" mai fish salad
Cay Canh Restaurant is a great dining place in Nha Trang with a spacious, airy space filled with green trees. The restaurant menu is diverse with seafood dishes, forest and countryside specialties with elaborate recipes and reasonable prices. In particular, the restaurant's Nha Trang anchovy salad is favored by many diners for its freshness and delicious flavor.
• Address: 141/5 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Phuoc Hoa Ward, Nha Trang City
• Opening hours: 09:00 - 21:00
• Reference price: 159,000 VND/disc
3.2. Quality Nha Trang anchovy salad restaurant - Long Vu
Long Vu Mai Fish Salad Restaurant is known as a popular culinary address, serving a full range of fresh seafood dishes at affordable prices. Coming to the restaurant, you can enjoy the special Nha Trang Mai fish salad, rich in the taste of the ocean and many other attractive dishes such as: seafood hotpot, grilled sea urchin, boiled crab, garlic snails, raw oysters...
• Address: 30 (old number 133) Thap Ba, Vinh Tho Ward, Nha Trang City
• Opening hours: 13:00 - 23:00
• Reference price: 110,000 VND/disc
4. How to enjoy Nha Trang's authentic anchovy salad
Nha Trang anchovy salad is often enjoyed by rolling it in thin rice paper with lettuce and herbs... The rice paper roll contains a variety of flavors with the natural sweetness of the fish, the refreshing taste of the vegetables, the mild sourness of the mango and the spiciness of the chili...
The flavor is even more explosive when mixed with the smooth, rich dipping sauce with a bit of unforgettable fat. In addition, the Mai fish salad can also be enjoyed with crispy grilled sesame rice paper or crispy fried shrimp crackers.
On your culinary journey of the coastal city, you should not miss the specialty Nha Trang anchovy salad.
The salad with the unique flavor of fresh, crispy and sweet fish meat combined with the thick, rich dipping sauce will be extremely delicious for your meal. Hopefully, the list of delicious restaurants suggested through the article will help you have the best culinary experience with this famous salad.
Thank you for choosing iguide.ai to accompany your exciting experience!
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