Phu Quoc island is not only a paradise for beach lovers but also for seafood fans. Seafood in Phu Quoc is cheap and fresh and succulent. If you truly prefer an authentic food and beautiful region which are frequented more by locals, you must read this guidance. These 12 incredibly delicious food are waiting to be eaten.
1. Raw herring salad
Raw herring salad is a rustic dish but also the favorite one of the locals on Phu Quoc. People call it salad but the way they eat this dish is pretty different from the other normal Vietnamese salads. Shredded coconut and raw fish will be mixed with mint and onion, then wrapped with fresh vegetables in rice paper and dipped in fish sauce. You can also pick up pieces of raw fish, vegetables, coconut and then wrap them all with rice paper. The sauce served with raw herring salad is also very special. It is made from finely chopped chili, garlic and toasted peanuts which are all mixed with Phu Quoc fish sauce in order to create a spicy, fragrant and unforgettable flavor.
2. Ham Ninh Flower Crab
Flower crab is the specialty of this island and readily available in many local restaurants. The fresh red flower crabs get an amazing taste and rich texture when being boiled and dipped in the sauce made from black pepper, salt and lime juice. You are allowed to pick up the freshest crab in tank and ask the waiter to cook what you chose.
TIP:
A large crab is not tasty as the smaller ones. Therefore, you should choose the medium – size that there are about 6-7 flower crabs in a kilogram. In addition, if you like crab – roe, choose female crabs. If you like meaty ones, choose male crabs. Crabs on Phu Quoc island are so good that it is a pity if you do not try this kind of seafood when arriving the island.
3. Grilled Bien Mai Scallop Sinew
Bien Mai scallop consists of two flesh layers connected with its two pieces of shell. Compared with the blood cockle which is so familiar and live on mainland with the two small toothpick-shaped sinew, Bien Mai scallop is much bigger. In spite of its size, the flesh of Bien Mai scallop is not as tasty as its sinew. All of its quintessence is at the sinew. There are a lot of cooking recipes for Bien Mai scallop sinew such as stir – fried with shiitake mushrooms, straw mushrooms, onions and mustard greens. Nevertheless, the best way for gourmets to enjoy Bien mai sinew is to grill it then to combine scallop with a mixture of chili and salt which gives you the pristine flavor of the sea. Tourists can also enjoy delicious Bien Mai sinew porridge with sinew’s slightly sweet taste and warm aroma of shallots and peppers. This porridge not only can relieve your drunkenness but also make you feel better after a long day trip.
4. Grilled Sea urchin with grease and spring onion
Grilled sea urchin is a favorite dish in Phu Quoc because it can retain the richness of the urchins. Despite its ugly appearance, sea urchins become a tempting dish thanks to clever chefs. After the thorns of fresh sea urchins have been removed, the sea urchins will be cut in half, washed and drained then topped with grease, spring onion and grilled on hot charcoals at the end. After being cooked, sea urchins are aromatic. You just need to take a spoon of the flesh and eggs inside then enjoy with a mixture of salt, black pepper and lemon juice. The richness of sea urchins mingled with fragrant aroma of roasted peanuts, grease and spring onion provide an incredibly feeling.
While the gourmets love grilled sea urchins with black pepper and salt, Japanese people prefer raw sea urchins served with lime juice and wasabi. The raw sea urchins will be mixed with lime juice and salt and pepper and directly eaten to fulfill the taste of all the ingredients. Coming to Phu Quoc, you can try grilled sea urchins and other delicious foods right at Dinh Cau night market.
5. Boletus Soup
For the locals, boletus soup is a special dish. Boletus only appears in deep forests in rainy season so it is difficult to plant them. Moreover, these special mushrooms grow and die quickly so they must be picked within one week after the rain. The soup which is made from boletus, fresh squids, shrimps, minced meat and spicy black pepper is definitely an unforgettable dish. If you come to Phu Quoc in dry season, you are just able to enjoy dried or frozen boletus which are absolutely not as good as the fresh ones. While fresh boletus are cooked with shrimps, fish and squids, the dried ones are stir – fried with abalones or sea cucumbers. The soup is flavored with the sweetness of boletus, fragrant aroma of black pepper and becomes much tastier when being served with Phu Quoc fish sauce. The boletus are now still quite available and popular at many restaurants and eateries in Phu Quoc with affordable prices.
6. Fresh Crab Blood
This is a specialty of fishermen in Phu Quoc Island. They often take the fresh crab blood which is extracted from the pincers to drink. Later, the fresh crab blood is cleverly processed to create a very impressive dish called Phu Quoc fresh crab blood. A delicious and nutritious fresh crab blood dish must be made from sea crabs which have roe. The fresh crab blood will become solid like jellies a little while later. Fresh crab blood with exotic flavor, soft crab meat and buttery crab – roe are combined to create a wonderful dish. Crab blood is served with rice paper, fresh vegetables such as coriander, fishy leaves, sliced green star fruits and green banana.
7. Grilled Abalones
Although grilled abalones in Phu Quoc are quite expensive, they are worth trying because of their delicious taste and nutritious values. Abalones are really soft, sweet and juicy. Hence, they are the best when being grilled and served with sauce made from minced ginger, garlic, fish sauce, sugar, chili and black pepper. The slightly sweet and tasty dipping sauce and soft juicy abalones will brings to you a lifetime food experience.
8. Flower Crab Rice
Flower crab rice in Phu Quoc has a beautiful yellow color and is served with sliced cucumber, vegetables, sliced tomato and prepared fish sauce. It is a delicious and nutritious dish which hosts a mouth watering flavor. Main ingredients of flower crab rice are cooked rice, shredded flower crab meat, minced garlic, thinly sliced onions and a little of ketchup. Cooked flower crab meat is shredded and sauté with minced garlic then well seasoned and thoroughly mixed with cooked rice.
In some places, instead of ketchup, flower crab rice is fried with eggs to bring out the new flavor of this dish.
9.Thick Noodle Soup with Mackerel Cake
Thick noodle soup in Phu Quoc is famous for its chewy fish cake which is totally made from mackerel and well seasoned. Moreover, the broth dish is made from simmered pig’s bones and minced pork. Thick noodle soup in Phu Quoc is a perfect combination of sweetness of white chewy thick noodles, flavourful broth, tasty mackerel cake, spicy dipping sauce and fresh vegetables.
10. Fried Squids with Fish Sauce
Fried squid with fish sauce is also one of the best food choices of tourists in Phu Quoc. Squid is a little bigger than a human thumb and contains a lot of nutritious egg squid in their belly. Squid which is fried with fish sauce, sugar and seasoning powder is chewy, toothsome and unbelivably incredible. When you are in Phu Quoc, don't forget to try seafood. More importantly, don't forget to try fried Squied with Fish Sauce.
Phu Quoc Island - easy to say Hello, hard to say goodbye!
