Nature favors and bestows many rural products on the Tra Khuc River, in which the Tra River goby fish is a seafood that almost every Quang Ngai person knows and has tasted once.
People living along both banks of the Tra Khuc River said that although the river is nearly 140 km long, the most delicious goby fish is concentrated in the section of about 20 km, from the old Tinh Giang commune (now Truong Giang commune) to the old Tinh An (now Truong Quang Trong ward).
This section of the river flows gently, not fast, creating conditions for fish to grow, the meat is soft but still firm, and the flavor is very unique. To "hunt" this type of goby fish, riverside residents often use bamboo tubes to release along the water flow. When the tube is lifted up and sloped out, the fish are still alive, wriggling gently in their hands, keeping the freshness of the river.
There are many types of goby fish on the Tra River: sand goby fish, barren goby fish, do goby fish, găm goby fish, hang goby fish... But to braise pepper most deliciously, people often choose sand goby fish and barren goby fish, small in size to the fingertip or smaller. These two types have firm meat, small and soft bones, when braised, they are both savory and absorb spices.
Goby fish braised with pepper is a rustic dish, the flavor is so rich that anyone who goes far from the Quang countryside will remember it. The fish after being cleaned is marinated with delicious fish sauce, pepper, chili, onion, garlic and a little sugar. Familiar ingredients of the countryside kitchen, when combined, create an unforgettable flavor.
The "soul" of the braised goby fish pot is the colored water brewed from sugar, creating a glossy brown color with a very natural sweet taste. The fish pot is placed on a small stove, simmered for many hours. The higher the heat, the firmer the fish becomes, the deeper the seasoning penetrates into each piece of meat. When the braised water thickens, blending around each fish, the aroma of pepper and fish sauce rises, spreading throughout the kitchen.
A proper pot of braised goby fish must be dry, not mushy, with a harmonious salty-sweet taste, slightly spicy at the tip of the tongue. Picking a fish and eating it with hot white rice or simple white porridge on rainy days, the delicious taste spreads from the tip of the tongue down to the bottom of the heart. For many Quang Ngai people living far from home, it is not only a dish, but also the flavor of their homeland, of warm meals with family, simple but unforgettable.
Also because of that unmistakable flavor, Quang Ngai people have a folk song passed down by word of mouth: "When I go, I miss my hometown/ I miss the goby fish in Tra River braised with pepper".
