Buzz
Sun-Dried Mackerel
Sun-dried mackerel is a unique Con Dao specialty that tourists often buy as gifts for family and friends. Fishermen catch the mackerel, rinse it with saltwater to remove impurities without additional seasoning, and then sun-dry it only once. As a result, the fish is delicious and fragrant, lacking the fishy smell of fresh fish and not as tough as regular dried fish. The locals prepare sun-dried mackerel in various dishes such as braised, tomato sauce, but the most special is fried sun-dried mackerel. Fried sun-dried mackerel, dipped in ginger fish sauce, is both easy to make and incredibly appetizing.
The price of sun-dried mackerel ranges from 200,000đ to 550,000đ per kilogram. You can purchase it at supermarkets, the Con Dao market, or roadside stalls.
Sun-Dried Mackerel
Hai Khiem Crab Noodle Soup
Hai Khiem Crab Noodle Soup is also one of the famous dishes in Con Dao, delicious yet budget-friendly. To prepare this dish, you need ingredients such as crab, pork bones or pork hock, blood pudding, tofu, tomatoes, and shiitake mushrooms. It can be cooked with pickled bamboo shoots to enhance the flavor.
The price for a bowl of Bun Rieu is approximately 20,000đ - 30,000đ per bowl. To fully enjoy the flavor of this Bun Rieu dish, Mytour suggests you visit the address at 22 Nguyen Huệ, Con Dao District, Vung Tau.
Bun Rieu Hai Khiem Con Dao
Bang Fruit Preserve
Bang fruit is a forest tree in Con Dao, known for its large fruits and leaves. During the season, locals harvest the fruits to sun-dry, then separate the seeds. The bang fruit seeds are roasted with salt and sugar according to personal preference. Regardless of the preparation, bang fruit seeds are aromatic, rich, and chewy. Bang fruit preserve makes an excellent gift. However, if the seeds are consumed raw without roasting, it may cause dizziness.
The price for 1kg of bang fruit seeds is around 500,000đ/kg. You can purchase them at various dried food stores, specialty shops in Con Dao, or at supermarkets and markets.
Bang Fruit Preserve Con Dao
Nipple Sea Snail
What to eat when traveling to Con Dao? Nipple Sea Snail in Con Dao is one of the unique dishes in the local cuisine. This type of snail has a conical shape, with a gray-black outer shell and a sparkling mother-of-pearl inner layer enveloping the snail meat. Nipple Sea Snail in Con Dao is prepared in various ways, such as boiling, grilling, or making salads. Visitors often choose boiled snails to retain the flavor while experiencing the fresh and delicious taste of sea snails. When eating snails, you can dip them in a mixture of salt, pepper, and lime, enhancing the chewiness and rich flavor of the snail meat.
The prices range from 70,000đ to 100,000đ. To savor Nipple Sea Snail, tourists should visit seafood restaurants or markets in Con Dao.
Nipple Sea Snail
Sun-Dried Squid
Squid is usually caught by locals at night, and when caught, the people carefully select the freshest, tastiest, and largest squid to dry. For this type of sun-dried squid, there is no need for extensive processing; just rinse it with water or saltwater and then sun-dry it once. Sun-dried squid is a specialty of the Con Dao sea and is highly favored by tourists visiting the area.
The price for type 1 sun-dried squid is around 300,000đ - 400,000đ/kg. You can find and purchase this sun-dried squid as a gift at specialty stores, supermarkets, and markets in Con Dao.
Sun-Dried Squid Con Dao
>> Explore some budget-friendly hotels in Con Dao at Mytour
Moon Face Crab
One of the delicacies in Con Dao that cannot be overlooked is the moon face crab - an extremely rare seafood in Phu Quy Island. It is called the moon face crab because the back of the crab has many dark red circles, mixed with bright pink, very attractive and eye-catching, resembling the moon's face. Moreover, this type of crab has the most delicious meat during the moon rising period.
The most common way to prepare the moon face crab is steaming. Eating a piece of crab meat, dipping it in a little salt and lime, slowly savoring the sweet taste of the crab melting on the tongue, it's truly beyond words. Besides, this type of crab can also be served with tamarind sauce or cooked in hotpot.
The price is around 200,000đ - 300,000đ/kg. There are many restaurants in Con Dao selling it, but to taste the most authentic flavor, you should visit Tri Ki Restaurant on Nguyen Duc Thuan Street, Con Dao.
Moon Face Crab
Shark salad (Ray salad)
Shark salad is a famous specialty of Con Dao, prepared with fresh ingredients from nature such as banana blossom, starfruit, pineapple, and various herbs (banana flower, coriander, etc.). A plate of shark salad will make you experience the fragrant taste of fish, the spiciness of chili, and the sourness of pineapple, starfruit, and the astringency of green banana,... It's hard to forget the flavors of this dish.
The price of this dish is around 100,000đ - 150,000đ. Since this is a very popular dish here, you can enjoy shark salad at any restaurant in Con Dao.
Shark salad
Red lobster
If you've had the opportunity to travel to Con Dao, you cannot miss the precious specialty - Red lobster. The red lobster meat contains a large amount of protein but very low fat, making it especially good for health. The red lobster in Con Dao is delicious, with firm and sweet meat. There are many ways to prepare red lobster in Con Dao. You can steam, cook porridge, make salad, or grill and stir-fry... each method looks very attractive and enticing.
Priced from 800,000đ - 1,200,000đ/kg, you can buy it at Con Dao seafood market, Con Dao seafood store, or enjoy it directly at Quan Cay Bang Con Dao, Thu Tam restaurant,... These are all reputable seafood addresses with reasonable prices for you to easily choose from.
Red lobster in Con Dao
Sea Cucumber (Sea Worm)
Sea cucumber is an extremely rare specialty, rich in nutrients and difficult to catch because it only appears from March to July. So, if you happen to visit during this time, be sure to try this dish. This was often considered a delicacy for kings and officials in ancient times. People prepare sea cucumber in various ways: stir-frying with vegetables, grilling, making salad, cooking porridge, etc. Tourists love this dish in Con Dao because it is delicious, rich, chewy, and especially nutritious.
The value of this specialty is very high. 1kg of sea cucumber is priced from 3,500,000đ - 4,500,000đ.
Sea cucumber (sea worm) in Con Dao
Red Grouper Fish
If you plan to indulge in Con Dao seafood, try the red grouper fish. Also known as the spotted coral grouper, it's a highly popular and beloved fish in Con Dao. When here, you must taste dishes made from this fish. Red grouper is prepared in various rustic dishes such as steaming, making salad, grilling, and sautéing, creating visually appealing and tempting meals. Due to the difficulty in catching red grouper and its high nutritional content, there are various price ranges for this fish.
Typically priced around 400,000đ - 600,000đ/kg.
Red Grouper Fish (spotted coral grouper) in Con Dao
Sea Urchin Sauce
Sea Urchin Sauce is made from sea urchins, also known as sea hedgehogs, and is hailed as the aristocrat of sauces. Catching sea urchins is challenging due to their small size. To produce a jar of Sea Urchin Sauce, a large quantity of sea urchins is required, as they contain very little meat. To savor the authentic flavor of Sea Urchin Sauce, it's a must-try when you visit Con Dao. This sauce pairs wonderfully with boiled meat or various types of vegetables, and just the thought of it is already enticing. Trying it once will make the taste linger in your memory.
A jar of sea urchin sauce ranges from 120,000đ to 135,000đ, and you can purchase it at specialty stores, supermarkets, or at the Con Dao market.
Sea Urchin Sauce
Elephant Ear Snail
The Elephant Ear Snail in Con Dao has a shape resembling an elephant's ear and is quite large, reaching up to 10kg per snail. However, the sweetest and most aromatic meat is found in snails weighing around 1kg. The white meat of the Elephant Ear Snail is crispy and fragrant, creating a crunchy sound similar to chewing cartilage. This type of snail is transformed into many delicious and nutritious dishes such as porridge, spicy sautéed Elephant Ear Snail with butter, snail dipping sauce, steamed Elephant Ear Snail, and each dish leaves a memorable impression on visitors to Con Dao.
The price of Elephant Ear Snails is approximately 250,000đ to 300,000đ per kilogram.
Elephant Ear Snail in Con Dao
Catfish Salad
One of the renowned exotic and nutritious dishes here is the Catfish Salad in Con Dao. Why is Catfish Salad so popular among diners? The salad is made using only the fresh, firm part of the catfish's back, cut into small pieces, marinated to remove the fishy smell, and then mixed with galangal, lemongrass, and finely ground turmeric for about 30 minutes. It is then combined with a dressing featuring various spices to create a harmonious blend of sourness, spiciness, and sweetness.
A plate of Catfish Salad will give you the soft, fragrant taste of the fish with the spicy kick of mù tạt (a local spice) and a combination of natural ingredients such as banana flower, sawtooth herb, the slightly astringent taste of green banana, and the sourness of pineapple and starfruit. This dish is served in almost every restaurant in Con Dao, priced at 300,000đ to 350,000đ per kilogram of fresh catfish.
Catfish Salad
Broken Rice with Grilled Pork in Con Dao
According to Con Dao travel tips, if you are not a fan of seafood, you can enjoy a very safe and inexpensive dish – broken rice with grilled pork. The appealing point of this dish is the marinated and perfectly grilled pork rib, along with fragrant shredded pork skin, soft and delicate fried eggs, and pork sausage, making travelers unable to resist. It is a must to pair this dish with a cup of sweet and sour fish sauce and pickled vegetables.
When it comes to Con Dao broken rice, people immediately think of Thuy's restaurant in Zone 6 (near Cao Van Ngoc Primary School), offering a plate at only around 20,000đ per serving.
Broken Rice with Grilled Pork in Con Dao
Hau Congee
A must-try dish when visiting Con Dao is the nutrient-rich hau congee. The congee is made from simple ingredients such as rice, fresh and plump Con Dao oysters, a dash of pepper, cilantro, and fragrant purple onion. When you taste it, you'll experience the smooth aroma of rice blending with the sweet and cool taste of oysters, making this dish irresistible even to the most discerning and gourmet individuals. A bowl of hau congee costs around 35,000đ - 50,000đ.
Hau Congee
You can enjoy hau congee in the Con Dao market or explore the CAY BANG seafood restaurant, recommended by many travel blogs such as dulich9 and phuot3mien. Address of CAY BANG restaurant: Intersection of Pham Van Dong and Nguyen Van Troi streets, Con Dao. Opening hours: 9 AM – 12 AM. Phone: 0986 170 613 or 0357 263 483. Besides delicious hau congee, the restaurant also offers fresh seafood and live oysters, crabs, and shrimps for you to choose from. The prices are reasonable and budget-friendly.
Here is a collection of 15 delectable dishes you shouldn't miss when visiting Con Dao. Hopefully, you've gained valuable information for your travel guide. So, why hesitate? Plan your trip to this island paradise comprehensively, or book Con Dao travel tours at Mytour for a complete exploration. Don't forget to check out the ultimate Con Dao travel guide from A to Z for first-time visitors!
Author: Thu Hien
Image source: Internet
