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Steamed Ham Ninh Razor Clam
Steamed Ham Ninh Razor Clam is the first seafood dish from Phu Quoc on this list. When traveling to Phu Quoc, you can easily buy and enjoy dishes made from fresh seafood anywhere, but you must visit Ham Ninh fishing village to fully experience the taste of steamed razor clam. Ham Ninh Razor Clam may have a small body, but the meat is fragrant and firm. When steaming the razor clam, there's no need for many additives and seasoning, just a simple dip of salt, pepper, and lime, allowing the dish to retain the unique flavor of the razor clam while adding a memorable richness.
Beyond steamed razor clam, to meet the demand of customers, the chefs here also prepare dishes such as stir-fried razor clam with tamarind sauce, and braised razor clam in coconut juice. And of course, these dishes are all delicious and leave a lasting impression on many tourists who have left Phu Quoc but still can't forget the flavors they experienced. Some quality places to enjoy razor clam in Phu Quoc that you should remember:
- Nhớ Seafood Restaurant: Located at 40 Mac Thien Tich, Duong Dong town, Phu Quoc City. Price ranges from 100,000 to 500,000 VND per dish.
- Song Le Restaurant and Hanh Dung Restaurant: Located in Ham Ninh fishing village. Prices here range from 50,000 to 200,000 VND per dish.
Steamed Razor Clam in Ham Ninh
Pickled herring salad
Herring is a specialty of Phu Quoc and there are many ways to prepare dishes from this fish. However, pickled herring salad remains the most popular dish here. If you have visited Phu Quoc, you cannot miss this dish. The herring is cleaned, filleted, then thinly sliced and marinated with lime juice, onions, and chili, then seasoned with spices and other additives such as grated coconut, shallots, and peanuts. The beautifully arranged fish slices with aromatic herbs, rice paper... are already attractive enough at first sight.
The special thing about this dish must also mention the sauce and the dipping fish sauce. The sauce here is made from star fruit vinegar with star fruits grown right on the island for a refreshing and mildly sour taste. The dipping fish sauce is made from the famous Phu Quoc fish sauce mixed with vinegar, garlic, chili... in reasonable proportions. All create a pickled herring salad that few can resist. And even better when enjoying pickled herring salad with sim wine on the island.
Pickled herring salad
To enjoy pickled herring salad, you must visit the Apple Garden restaurant (located in Cua Lap, Duong To commune) - famous for its delicious pickled herring salad at an affordable price of only about 50,000 - 80,000 VND for a plate. Besides, the restaurant also offers other delicious dishes such as pickled carp, which is worth a try. The Apple Garden restaurant is open from 6 am to 11 pm every day.
Grilled sea cucumber with scallion oil
When it comes to eating seafood in Phu Quoc, you must not miss grilled sea cucumber with scallion oil. Just passing by any restaurant preparing this dish, you must stop because the aroma of sea cucumber combined with the fragrance of scallion oil creates an irresistibly delicious flavor. The sea cucumber is trimmed of all sharp spines, split in half, and added with a bit of scallion and oil (or butter for a richer aroma) before grilling. When the temperature is just right, the oil will bubble up, cooking the sea cucumber and scallion. Eating it at this point, the sea cucumber will retain its moisture and sweetness, but if you wait until the sea cucumber with scallion oil turns golden, the dish will be more fragrant but the sea cucumber may be slightly dry. Depending on each person's taste, choose the time to eat sea cucumber, but regardless of when you eat it, grilled sea cucumber with scallion oil still captivates diners with its fragrant, rich, and savory flavor.
Grilled sea cucumber with scallion oil
Nghêu Sò Ốc Hến restaurant on 30/4 Street, Duong Dong, is one of the quality addresses for you to enjoy grilled sea cucumber with scallion oil. Besides, the restaurant also offers many other affordable seafood dishes such as sea snails, grilled sea snails with salt and chili, razor clams, conch, mantis shrimp,... with prices ranging from about 25,000 - 50,000 VND per dish.
Grilled conch with salt and chili
According to the travel experiences of many people in Phu Quoc, if you have never tasted grilled conch, you have not fully explored the romantic seafood specialties of this dreamy island. Grilled conch is the meaty part connecting the two halves of the conch shell. One has to separate the two layers of the conch shell and use a small, sharp knife to extract the 'conch' piece. The meat of the conch is soft and not tasty, but this 'conch' part is crispy and sweeter.
There are many ways to cook grilled conch such as: grilled conch with lemongrass and chili, stir-fried conch with mushrooms... Among the dishes that retain the flavor and crispiness of the conch, grilled conch with salt and chili must be mentioned. The cleaned conch pieces are marinated with salt and chili for absorption, then skewered and grilled directly over charcoal. When the conch pieces become firm, turn golden brown and emit a fragrant aroma, they are ready to enjoy. What could be better than enjoying a piece of golden brown grilled conch with its full crispy, sweet, spicy, and salty flavors of the sea with beer or sim wine in Phu Quoc? Just the thought of it is enough to make your mouth water.
Grilled conch with chili
Here are some places you should try this dish:
- Song Xanh Restaurant: 30/4 Street, Ward 1, Duong Dong, Phu Quoc.
- 343 Snail Restaurant: 343 30/4 Street, Ward 1, Duong Dong, Phu Quoc.
Phu Quoc abalone
Phu Quoc abalone is ranked among the top must-try seafood when visiting here. The small abalones, with brown spots, are bred and caught daily along the coasts of Phu Quoc. There are many ways to prepare abalones such as boiling, grilling with chili salt, stir-frying with butter and garlic, but grilled chili salt abalone remains the most popular dish. Each large abalone is marinated with a mixture of salt, chili, and spices, then grilled until fragrant. Served with lime salt to enhance the sweet and spicy flavor of this special dish.
Abalone
Bien Hai Quan – Seaside Seafood (Group 1, Ganhdau Hamlet) and 343 Snail Restaurant (343 30th April Street, Ward 1, Duong Dong Town) are two out of many delicious snail eating spots you should keep in mind. Both places offer spacious and airy atmospheres with an average price ranging from 50,000VND to 200,000VND per dish. Besides abalones, you can also enjoy dozens of other tempting seafood dishes such as grilled conch with chili, grilled sea snails, steamed abalones, grilled razor clams with scallion oil, and more.
Crab blood pudding
Crab blood pudding may sound strange to most tourists when they visit Phu Quoc. Essentially, crab blood pudding is the liquid inside crabs that is extracted and solidified to become a dish. The more eggs the crab has, the more nutritious and fragrant the liquid is. Phu Quoc fishermen often catch crabs and extract the liquid right on the spot. The taste of crab blood pudding is not bitter but rather slightly salty and sweet.
To prepare crab blood pudding, the claws of live crabs are usually cut off and cleaned to let the liquid flow out completely. Then, the crab blood will solidify, leaving a layer of water on top. The cook will skillfully use a spoon to remove that water and sprinkle chopped coriander and roasted peanuts on top. Crab blood pudding is a specialty not to be missed when traveling to Phu Quoc. You can find this special dish at seafood restaurants here, and some standout places serving crab blood pudding are:
- Cat Bien Seafood Restaurant, located on 30/4 Street. The average price ranges from 50,000VND to 60,000VND per dish.
- Welcome Restaurant at 66 Tran Hung Dao, Duong Dong offers a spacious and seaside view. Welcome Restaurant opens from 8 AM to 10 PM every day.
Specialty: Phu Quoc crab blood pudding
Seafood mushroom bamboo shoot soup
Bamboo shoot is a special type of mushroom in Phu Quoc, appearing only twice a year in the lunar months of April and July (early rainy season). Bamboo shoot has a very short life cycle, only about 1 month, so this type of mushroom is not commonly sold on the market. During each mushroom season, people often go to the forest to harvest mushrooms and bring them back to cook with seafood to create the irresistible aroma of this soup. Bamboo shoot has a slightly bitter and sweet aroma, often cooked with shrimp, herring, crab meat, or grouper.
Besides making soup, bamboo shoots can also be prepared as stir-fries, grilled, hotpot dips, etc. Bamboo shoot soup will surely win over the picky palates of Phu Quoc. A great place to enjoy bamboo shoot soup is at Welcome Restaurant (66 Tran Hung Dao, Duong Dong). However, this is a seasonal dish, so you must visit Phu Quoc during the rainy season to have the opportunity to taste this dish.
Bamboo shoots only grow in the rainy season
Grilled Phu Quoc snakehead fish
Grilled snakehead fish is a familiar dish in coastal areas, including Phu Quoc. The snakehead fish here is very firm and slightly chewy, but tourists rate this dish as even better when it's chewier. Grilled snakehead fish requires no complicated preparation, just clean and grill until cooked, served with salt, pepper, lime, and raw vegetables. Grilled snakehead fish has a sweet taste from the fish meat, combined with the salty flavor of the dipping sauce, creating a harmonious dish. This dish is very nutritious. In addition to grilling, the people of Phu Quoc also cook snakehead fish in soup or stewed with pickled mustard greens. Regardless of how it's cooked, snakehead fish is always the most popular dish among tourists.
Grilled Phu Quoc snakehead fish
Trung Duong Marina Restaurant and Zen Restaurant are both located on 30/4 Street, Duong Dong, and are two of the many famous places to enjoy snakehead fish in Phu Quoc. Both are among the top seafood restaurants in Phu Quoc, with spacious and cool spaces, suitable for large gatherings or group dining. A small suggestion for you is to book a hotel in the 30/4 Street area or Tran Hung Dao Street in the center of Duong Dong town for convenient exploration of local cuisine.
Grilled abalone
Abalone is a highly nutritious dish and also a precious medicinal ingredient in traditional Vietnamese medicine, treating digestive disorders, coughs, and enhancing vitality for men. Therefore, abalone is quite expensive in Phu Quoc. However, tourists should not miss the grilled abalone with fragrant shallots at seafood restaurants. The abalone is shelled, cleaned, and grilled over charcoal until cooked, then brushed with a layer of shallot oil. If you don't like shallot oil, you can enjoy grilled abalone without it, dipping in salt and pepper to taste the sweet and fragrant flavor of this dish. In addition to grilling, the people of Phu Quoc also use abalone to cook porridge or soup, which is very nutritious.
Nghêu Sò Oc Hen Restaurant and Oc 343 on 30/4 Street, Duong Dong are some of the affordable and delicious eateries in Phu Quoc specializing in grilled, boiled, steamed, and stir-fried seafood dishes, including grilled abalone. The price for one kilogram of abalone averages around 300,000 - 500,000 VND/kg. When dining, you can choose and weigh the seafood yourself before paying, then have it prepared by the restaurant or take it away as you wish.
Grilled abalone
Sea cucumber
Similar to abalone, sea cucumber is a highly nutritious dish and is quite expensive in Phu Quoc. Sea cucumber can treat conditions such as high blood pressure, epilepsy, diabetes, anemia, and aging, making it a rare and valuable ingredient in traditional Eastern medicine. Sea cucumber can be prepared in various ways such as steaming with ginger, making soup, stir-frying, etc.
In Phu Quoc, you can enjoy sea cucumber soup or stir-fried sea cucumber with bell peppers, which are both delicious and nutritious. Since these dishes are relatively expensive and hard to find, they are mostly served in upscale restaurants. Xin Chao Restaurant (66 Tran Hung Dao) and Nho Seafood Stall (40 Mac Thien Tich) are renowned for their delectable sea cucumber dishes, priced around 150,000 - 300,000 VND for a bowl of sea cucumber soup or a plate of stir-fried sea cucumber.
Phu Quoc sea cucumber
The article compiles the top 10 must-try seafood dishes when visiting the Pearl Island, hoping to provide you with useful information for your trip. If you prefer self-exploration during your travels, book your flight tickets to Phu Quoc along with a Phu Quoc combo package at Mytour Travel to optimize costs while ensuring a complete experience.
If you lack experience, you can also consider booking all-inclusive Phu Quoc tours for the most comprehensive experience. Wishing you a joyful and meaningful journey!
Thao Chi
Image Source: Internet
