The juvenile fish are not unfamiliar to the people of Central Vietnam, but the special feature of the annual fish in Binh Dinh is often eaten with delicious, crunchy wild vines with a very characteristic flavor of the mountains and forests.
In Binh Dinh, only 2 mountainous districts An Lao and Vinh Thanh have the appearance of juveniles. Because this fish often lives in rivers, especially at the foot of the falls. Because of that, anyone who returns to the two mountainous districts mentioned above will be reminded by their friends to not forget to enjoy the “fish, giant vegetables”.
According to local people, in the past, annual fish was a very popular dish often included in the meals of the people here. But today, fish has become a specialty dish that many people “hunt”, so it appears in restaurants and eateries in town.
Currently, this type of fish is also rare and the fishermen are sold to restaurants with prices ranging from 300,000 to 400,000 VND / kg. In particular, near the last Lunar New Year 2021, many people who want 1 kg of fish have to spend nearly 800,000 VND.
To learn about this special fish, I was told by a local friend in Vinh Thanh district and gave the delicious “juvenile fish, giant vegetables” as rumored.
According to my friend, the annual fish is very special, only where the upstream stream is fast flowing, white foam is where they gather, give birth to children. Their breeding season is usually late winter – early spring, when the mother crosses the waterfall to lay eggs. Fish eggs cling to rough rocks, hatching young fish, then they follow the water “migrating” to the rivers and streams where upstream Kon river lives and becomes a specialty dish.
The juvenile has a flat body, the large one is 20cm long and about 2 adult fingers. This fish is also easy to recognize because there are red microbes growing around the mouth, silver-white body, blue back.
In particular, this fish lives in the upstream of rivers, streams or the foot of the waterfall, eating only algae so the meat is fragrant, delicious, clean and nutritious. Annual fish appear more often in June of the dry season.
“Juvenile fish can process many dishes such as deep-fried, braised with fresh turmeric to eat rice … but the most attractive and non-processing is the grilled fish.
Eating juvenile fish is the best when it comes to catching fresh, clean fish and bringing water on the charcoal stove. The dipping food only needs a cup of salt and crushed seeds with chili, ginger, garlic, lemon.
The best part is when sitting with a bunch of friends right by the stream and enjoying the fish is wonderful “, my friend said.
Grilled fish can be done by anyone because there is no need for seasoning. Newly caught or bought fish is fresh, no need to scab, only wash water, then use a small pointed bamboo stick to skew the fish’s body, or use a grill on an embers stove.
When baking fish “chef” must be hard to turn hands so that the fish is cooked evenly from the inside to the outside while still retaining the yellow color, crispy scales. When grilled, cooked fish has a complex aroma, only by smelling it will also crave … But when you eat fish, you can feel the aroma, sweetness, fat, chewy, chewy taste of fish meat, especially a little Bitter ring of the new interesting fish gut. Follow Dân trí