Herring is abundant in the Vietnamese sea and is processed into all kinds of delicious dishes. In Quang Ngai, Herring salad in Duc Minh commune (old), now Mo Cay commune, has long become a specialty that attracts diners. When mentioning Duc Minh, people often immediately think of a plate of fresh, flavorful sea Herring salad.
Along Duc Minh beach, it is not difficult to encounter small shops specializing in selling herring salad. Fish just brought ashore by fishermen quickly followed the stalls, keeping the freshness, the element that makes up the "soul" of this dish.
After buying herring, the scales are cleaned, head, intestines, and tail are removed, and then washed with seawater. The fish is thinly sliced, mixed with lemon juice to "recycle" naturally until the meat turns cloudy white. After that, the fish is lightly squeezed to drain, then marinated with chili, garlic, pepper, and spices. Experienced salad makers absolutely do not add fish sauce to this step to avoid making the fish meat mushy and losing its deliciousness.
The accompanying vegetables also contribute to the appeal of the dish: ginger leaves, dinh lang, perilla, cinnamon, coriander... are chopped, mixed well with fish. Finally, add grilled rice paper, crushed to create crispness and butteriness.
A complete plate of salad is a harmony of the sweetness of fresh fish, the spicy taste of chili, the aroma of forest vegetables, all creating a feeling that is both strange and attractive.
To make the dish more flavorful, diners often dip it with a bowl of "appropriate" dipping sauce from Quang Ngai people: chili, crushed Ly Son garlic, mixed with sugar and lemon juice, creating a harmonious sour and spicy taste.
Herring salad can be rolled with thin rice paper or served with thick rice paper, depending on each person's taste. But perhaps, the most interesting thing is still sitting by the sea, amidst the airy space, strong winds and the murmuring sound of waves, both rolling salad and enjoying a very "lifelike" experience that is hard to find anywhere else.
The price of a plate of herring salad in the coastal area is quite "soft", only about 90,000 - 100,000 VND, enough for 2 people to eat.
It is the freshness, reasonable price and deep sea-like experience that have made herring salad a favorite dish, not only for local people but also attracting tourists from near and far to come and enjoy it.
