Must-Try Seafood on Co To Island

Visitors should experience bao ngu, sea cucumber, or oysters; all delightful and nutritionally rich dishes.

Must-Try Seafood on Co To Island

Co To Island (Quang Ninh) captivates travelers with a variety of delicious dishes amidst pristine landscapes and smooth white sandy beaches.

Bao Ngu

Bao ngu, a rare seafood, once reserved for royalty, is now a popular choice not only for its delicious taste but also for its nutritional value.

The bao ngu, resembling a male, is a distinctive shellfish found in certain seas like Co To (Quang Ninh), Bach Long Vi (Hai Phong), and Khanh Ninh (Khanh Hoa).

Bao ngu is skillfully crafted into various nutritious dishes such as soup, stew, stir-fry, porridge, or combined with other ingredients like bao ngu stewed with shiitake mushrooms, bao ngu with bok choy in oyster sauce, or bao ngu porridge with pigeon. Priced around 800,000 - 900,000 VND per kg.

Sea Cucumber

Sea cucumber (also known as elephant trunk shell) typically resides in salty and clean waters, a delicacy of Co To Island.

One can prepare a variety of delicious dishes from this creature, such as grilling, steaming, porridge, or grilling with spring onion oil. For coastal residents, freshly caught sea cucumber grilled and dipped in chili sauce is the best, preserving its sweet taste and distinctive aroma without blending with any other spices or ingredients.

In some restaurants, sea cucumber is often steamed with garlic oil, spicy lemongrass, or stir-fried dishes and sea cucumber soup. With a crispy texture and a rich, sweet, and savory taste of the sea, this dish is appealing to even the most discerning diners. The price for one kg of sea cucumber is around 300,000 VND.

Abalone

Abalone is a soft-bodied creature commonly attached firmly to coastal rocks, river mouths, coral reefs, bridge piers, and feeds on organic matter in the sand and seawater.

To catch abalone, fishermen often use a sturdy chisel attached to a pry bar, carefully separating it from rocks to avoid breaking the shell and preserve its deliciousness.

Abalone is rich in zinc, enhancing the immune system, and is prepared into various dishes. Popular options include abalone with tamarind dip, grilled abalone with garlic butter, baked abalone with butter, abalone porridge, and abalone salad. The price for one kg of abalone is around 70,000 - 100,000 VND.

Source: Di Vy/Vnexpress

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Reference: Travel Guide from Mytour