Buzz
Cà Mau's tip is known as the last piece of homeland, with vast mangrove forests, extensive melaleuca forests, winding rivers, and streams running everywhere. Not only that, Cà Mau is also famous for many delicious dishes that captivate the hearts of diners from all four directions. When traveling to Cà Mau, besides enjoying the beautiful scenery here, you will surely have to spend a lot of time to fully explore Cà Mau's cuisine. Mytour will introduce you to 7 delicious dishes that you must try once when visiting Cà Mau, and you will remember forever.
U Minh fermented fish hotpot
Hotpot is one of the familiar rustic dishes of people in the Southern region, with the main ingredients for a delicious hotpot being various types of fermented fish, along with a variety of fish and fresh vegetables found only in the U Minh region.
The main ingredient of U Minh fermented fish hotpot is fermented fish paste. The paste is carefully filtered, seasoned with sugar, MSG, then added to the hotpot. To enhance the aroma, a little finely chopped lemongrass leaves and crushed lemongrass stalks are added to the hotpot. U Minh fermented fish hotpot can be enjoyed with various types of meat or fish as desired. It is typically served with a variety of vegetables such as water lily, culantro, kale, morning glory, enhancing the rich and authentic flavor of the dish.
Fermented fish hotpot is an indispensable dish of the Southern people - Internet Image
To make the fermented fish hotpot delicious, you can add corn, straw mushrooms, along with fresh river fish such as carp, snakehead fish, or snakehead gudgeon. Gradually, U Minh fermented fish hotpot has become a famous and delicious dish of Cà Mau region.
Rạch Gốc three-spotted crab
The Mekong Delta is renowned for its vast fish sauce forests, extensive melaleuca forests. And it is these forests that are the habitat of the three-spotted crabs. Rạch Gốc three-spotted crab has had its brand since ancient times. The crab season is around July and August lunar calendar. This type of crab feeds on fallen black fermented fish, so it has a brick-red shell, fragrant and firmer meat compared to crabs in other regions.
Three-spotted crab fermented fish sauce is famous far and wide for its delicious and rustic flavor - Internet Image
Three-spotted crabs are prepared by boiling and eaten with dipping sauce. The dipping sauce is prepared very simply with finely chopped lemongrass, mixed with fermented rice, adding a little chili for a spicy taste, then adding some spices for flavor. With this eating method, the crab meat is very sweet and fragrant due to its combination with the spicy taste of chili, lemongrass, and the slightly sour, rich flavor of fermented rice. Boiled three-spotted crab eaten with dipping sauce will be an unforgettable dish for tourists from all four directions.
Squid egg cake
Fried squid eggs turn into cakes with a rich golden color, visually appealing and with a distinctive aroma. When eaten, the cakes are sliced into finger-sized pieces, served with fresh herbs and rice paper. The accompanying dipping sauce must be fish sauce or freshly squeezed lime salt and pepper.
This specialty dish is served with various types of vegetables, soft rice paper, the rich and creamy taste of squid eggs, incomparable to any other dish. People in Đất Mũi often use this dish to entertain valued guests, distant visitors, or as gifts for relatives far from home.
Golden crispy squid egg cakes are an irresistible dish for any diner - Internet Image
Grilled razor clams with salt and pepper dip
Although vọp is now very rare in Cà Mau, it has become a precious delicacy, always carrying a very special flavor that leaves a lasting impression on diners. To prepare it deliciously, choose fresh vọp, clean and drain the water.
Marinate with spices including lime salt and pepper, adding MSG, various types of vegetables. Evenly burn charcoal and start grilling vọp, multiple clams can be grilled at once. When the vọp shells open and the meat is just cooked, it is very sweet. If left for too long, they will become overcooked, dry, with tough meat and a very bland taste.
Grilled vọp with lime salt and pepper dip - Internet Image
Bee larvae salad
When it comes to Cà Mau, you will surely hear about the delicious bee larvae salad, ranked as the top dish. U Minh bee larvae are abundant, with a rich, creamy, indescribable flavor. Collect the bee larvae nests, immerse them in boiling water, then filter out the clean bee larvae. After cleaning, sauté with fragrant onions, then stir-fry the bee larvae evenly, adding some delicious fish sauce, pepper, a bit of sugar for richness, then set aside. Dozens of delicious dishes can be prepared such as bee larvae porridge, stir-fried bee larvae, bee larvae salad... Among them, bee larvae salad is favored by many people because it can fully preserve the rich and creamy flavor of bee larvae and combine well with the fragrant taste of various vegetables.
Plate of banana blossom salad mixed with fried bee larvae - Internet Image
Cà Mau water spinach
Cà Mau water spinach is considered the cleanest, nurtured and fertilized from the amount of sediment, so Cà Mau water spinach is 'pure', not contaminated with chemicals. Therefore, when eaten fresh, Cà Mau water spinach is very delicious, sweet, and crispy.
When it comes to pickles, Cà Mau water spinach pickles are also considered a beloved dish by the people of Cà Mau as well as distant guests. People in Cà Mau often eat water spinach pickles with braised river fish, and when eaten with rice, diners all praise it without wanting to put down their chopsticks.
Cà Mau water spinach pickles, a delicious rustic dish at the southernmost point - Internet Image
Dried varieties
Dried mullet fish is a quite special dish, diners can buy it as a gift or present it to distant relatives. The dried fish is marinated with chili salt, with just the right amount of saltiness, grilled until it emits a fragrant aroma and dipped in tamarind fish sauce. It is usually eaten with rice or porridge, both incredibly delicious. And dried mullet fish is often stored in the refrigerator's cold compartment to extend its shelf life.
Moreover, dried mantis shrimp is one of the famous specialties of the Mũi region, where some families have thinly sliced mantis shrimps and sun-dried them, considering it as a top-notch delicacy to serve guests or give to friends. Dried mantis shrimp can be prepared into many delicious dishes as simple as boiled, fried, or grilled. When eaten, it feels crispy, light in the mouth, accompanied by a savory taste mixed with a hint of sweetness that makes everyone crave for more. Rạch Gốc dried mantis shrimp is not only famous domestically but is now known in world markets.
Dried varieties are always favored by tourists - Internet Image
Explore more: Tour of the Mekong Delta Cà Mau Sóc Trăng Bạc Liêu
Cà Mau, once a land of 'sacred forests and unique water,' has brought its people countless delicious dishes, countless flavors worth savoring and enjoying in a lifetime. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to travel to Cà Mau, do not hesitate to seize the opportunity to enjoy the delicious cuisine of this land!
