Salted Sips - The Unique Specialty of Hà Tiên

When visiting Hà Tiên, tourists not only enjoy the cool atmosphere and immerse themselves in the clear blue sea but also get to savor the peculiar and unforgettable salted sips dish right from the first try.

Salted Sips - The Unique Specialty of Hà Tiên

Hà Tiên is famous for its diverse and unique culinary scene, featuring many fresh and delicious seafood delicacies that attract visitors from near and far. One of the dishes that leaves a lasting impression on visitors is the unique and delicious salted sips.

Salted sips are a type of seafood commonly found in river environments, estuaries, and brackish waters, often abundant in the Dong Ho marshes. They have a distinctive appearance resembling two green clamshells joined together, with long tendrils, tender, and sweet flesh. The peak harvesting season for this seafood delicacy is from June to August each year. For those passionate about fishing, a visit here to try catching salted sips is a must for an unforgettable experience.

First, when purchasing salted sips, separate the tendrils and body, remove the black head on the tendrils to eliminate mud and dirt, rinse thoroughly several times. Next, blanch the tendrils and body in hot water until the flesh is just cooked. Place the salted sips on a rack, spread evenly, and sun-dry vigorously for about 2-3 hours. This method ensures that the salted sips are dried properly without spoiling the salt and quickly absorb the seasoning.

The indispensable ingredients for making salted eggplant dish include Phu Quoc fish sauce, garlic, chili, and white sugar or palm sugar according to preference. Mix fish sauce and sugar in a 1:1 ratio (adjusting the amount based on the quantity of eggplants). Cook this mixture for about 5 minutes, add some MSG (if desired) to balance the flavor, then let it cool. Peel and thinly slice the garlic, choose non-spicy chilies and slice them (they can be sun-dried for 10-15 minutes).

Next, soak the eggplants in a large basin with the cooled fish sauce and sugar mixture, mix well for about 5 minutes to marinate, then add the prepared garlic and chilies, mix well... Salted eggplant can be enjoyed in the morning and stored for the afternoon. Just remove the outer skin and take out the flesh inside for consumption.

Eggplants can be prepared into various delicious and famous dishes, the most renowned being irresistible salted eggplant salad with a full array of ingredients including fried shallots, roasted peanuts, julienned onions, and seasonings. When indulging in salted eggplant salad, travelers will experience its characteristic sour, spicy, salty, and sweet flavors.

Alternatively, you can relish the fragrant and enticing stir-fried salted eggplant. Salted eggplants, when cooked, retain their skins for stir-frying, thus preserving their fullest flavor. Travelers can savor the sweet and sour stir-fried salted eggplant with various spices and fragrant fried garlic. It's recommended to enjoy the specialty of Ha Tien salted eggplant immediately after stir-frying, as the dish is still hot, ensuring the full preservation of its flavor without any hint of staleness.

The meat of salted eggplants is rich, the skin is crispy, blended with a mildly salty and sweet marinated liquid, the spicy taste of chili, and the fragrance of garlic… It pairs perfectly with white rice. Particularly, salted eggplant can be used as a drinking snack, enjoyed with beer and wine.

Source: Mytour

***

Reference: Travel Guide by Mytour