A crunchy sweet and sour salad that you don't want to miss in Phan Thiet

Phan Thiet in the south central coast is one of the key destinations for tourists who want to discover Vietnamese cuisines. The distinctiveness of the food in this area is a result of the abundance of seafood and aquatic items as well as the blending of Vietnamese and Cham cultures.

One of the most popular seafoods is white sardine (ca mai), which is used to make a variety of delectable meals.

White sardine salad is served with herbs and tamarind sauce. Photo by VnExpress/Ha Lam

The size of a white sardine is roughly equal to a finger, as little as an anchovy. The body is clear, while its fin is silver. Its meat is sweet-tasty, crunchy, and not at all fishy, making it a terrific addition to any salad.

The people of Phan Thiet claim that preparing this dish is difficult since it requires meticulousness at several steps.

Freshly caught white sardines of the same size are required. The fish is scaled, deboned, and cut into thin fillets. If the cook does not accomplish this procedure well, the flavors and texture of the fish could be affected.

The fish is then given a toss in vinegar or lime juice, which gives it an almost-half-cooked texture. In order to lessen the fishy flavor, more spices and ginger are added. When the fish has absorbed all the flavors of the spices, a special sauce made of garlic, chili, lime juice, sugar, and fish sauce will be added.

The final result is topped with laksa leaves, cilantro, scallions, onions, chili, roasted peanuts, roasted sesame, and fried shallots.

White sardine salad is topped with a generous amount of roasted peanuts and onion. Photo by VnExpress/Ha Lam

Another important component that contributes to the dish's renown is the dipping sauce. Tamarind, granulated sugar, ripe banana, garlic, chili, fish sauce, roasted sesame seeds, and ground peanuts are the main ingredients in this sauce. These combine to produce a viscous yellowish sauce that is aromatic, sweet, sour, and spicy.

There are two ways you can savor this dish, according to the locals. The first one is to eat the salad along with toasted sesame rice crackers or prawn crackers. The fish salad can be scooped up with one of the two crackers, dipped in the dressing, and then eaten. The crispy crackers make the dish more appetizing.

The second way of eating is to use rice paper as a wrapper and then using the fish salad and herbs as a filling. This way you can fully savor the fresh taste of the fish salad as well as accompanying herbs and vegetables.

Using rice paper to make a fish salad roll is a common way to enjoy Phan Thiet white sardine salad. Photo by VnExpress/Ha Lam

The fresh, crunchy and sweet white sardine combined with a thick sweet and sour sauce create an unforgettable experience for many first timers.

Some of the eateries where you can enjoy this great dish in Phan Thiet are 19 Huynh Thuc Khang Street in Ham Tien Ward, 2 - 4 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street in Phu Hai Ward, and 17-19 Pham Van Dong Street.