PHÙ CÁT SOUR FISH

"Rich and poor are a sour fish / You may win, you may lose, my dear". Calling fish sour is not because their meat tastes sour or because they live in acidic environments. Until now, no one knows the origin and real name of this fish breed. According to many fishermen, the name "sour" is a sign of hardship (sour, sour, etc.) in catching fry and raising fish in ponds and lakes. Those are very hard jobs plus anxiety every day, not knowing when to "empty hands". Sour fish is a fish that is born in a sponge and is as easy to dissolve as a sponge. It grows naturally in brackish water. The De Gi estuary (Cat Khanh - Phu Cat) has a strange thing that the sea water has a lower salinity than other places in the region, even though it's only a few kilometers apart. In the summer, the water in the Dam Thuy lagoon (De Gi lagoon) gradually dries up, and the tidal water overflows into the lagoon, turning this place into a large brackish water area. Among the sea foam floating near the mouth of the sea were millions of fish as tiny as the tip of a sewing needle, transparent, distinguished only by the two small black dots of the two eyes on the head. They float on the water and hide under the foam. Those are the sourdough fish. The sourdough fisherman soaks in salt water, under the hot summer sun, until he meets the requirements. The fry are raised in small ponds and lakes for about two weeks to harden and then released into the main pond. Breeding sour fish is also an arduous profession, which must be monitored and cared for daily. When the harvest day is near, farmers worry about not knowing when it will rain, whether it's heavy or small, rain during the day or at night.

Sour fish is available all year round, but the quality is best in spring - summer, and the age is about 4-5 months. The meat is very delicious, the more you chew it, the more you can feel the sweetness of the fish. The fish is small, the meat is not very rich, but the fish skin and head are very attractive. The old fish has a bit hard skin, but the meat is firm and delicious. Sour fish is processed into many dishes: steamed sour fish, sour fish cooked in Giang leaves, cooked sour fish (only cooked with water and onions, no spices added), but the most interesting is grilled banana leaves served with salt and chili peppers. fresh. If you can enjoy it once, almost everyone has to say it's delicious, you can eat it forever without ever getting bored. Perhaps, diners only stop eating when they have to remove the bones, the bones are as soft as the string. Is that the "weakness" of the sweet and sour fish? In the hot summer weather, by the cool beach, gathering together to eat sour fish dishes while chatting, sometimes drinking a few glasses of Bau Da is nothing better!