Quang Ngai specialties are countless, Tra Khuc river goby is the pinnacle of luxury for the rich and the wealthy.

In Quang Ngai, there are many specialties that have long been famous such as Tra Bong cinnamon, don, rock sugar, lung sugar... In addition, there are many other specialties that have become popular sayings: "Xuan Pho sugarcane bird, Thu Xa mirror candy, Tra river goby, Mo Duc malt".

Among those specialties, perhaps Tra River goby is the most popular with tourists.

The Tra River originates from the Truong Son mountain range, flows into the sea with a length of about 39 km, fish and shrimp are not many in variety and quantity but all are delicious, especially goby fish.

Goby is best in spring and summer. Because the Tra Khuc River has a large amount of sand at the bottom and very little mud, plankton thrive and that is a clean food source for goby.

In spring and summer, the water level is low and there are few impurities, so the goby meat becomes transparent and extremely fresh.

Fishermen here often catch goby fish by sawing bamboo tubes into pieces about 0.5 m long, leaving a joint in the middle, leaving both ends of the tube open for the fish to crawl in.

The tube-dropping season begins around the eighth lunar month - when the water wheels are cleared to avoid the rainy season - when the goby fish begin their spawning season. The water in the Tra River is shallow at that time, only reaching up to the waist.

Tra Khuc river goby fish, a specialty of Quang Ngai.

The suitable spawning ground for gobies is a shallow, still, and clear stretch of water. People choose a river channel of suitable height, bring out the tubes and place them in horizontal rows, perpendicular to the water flow and about a hand span from the river bottom, one tube about 2m from the other.

Every afternoon from the previous day, when setting up the tube, until early the next morning, people go fishing once, which is called emptying the tube. When emptying the tube, they must carry on their back a "duck" (a woven bamboo tool to hold fish, similar to a duck).

The way to catch fish must also be gentle by gently covering both ends of the tube and lifting it out of the water. If you hear a "ro ro" sound inside, it means there is fish inside and quickly pour it into the "duck". Then, put the tube back in its original position.

The movements of the person emptying the tubes must be very gentle and skillful to avoid making noise that would scare away the fish in the other tubes. In addition to using tubes, people also use clam nets to catch fish.

The clam-pulling device consists of a net woven from hemp or silk, about 7m long, 1m high, with a pole at both ends to block the net. One end of the pole is sharpened to be stuck into the river when spreading the net to catch fish.

Each clam rope is made from sea clam shells tied together into a rope 30 to 40 meters long. There are many types of Tra River goby, from small, light yellow sand goby, the size of a little finger, to large, giant goby and grouper goby with a dark purple body like sea grouper (also known as coal goby) with flabby meat, not as delicious as sand goby meat.

Braised goby with pepper - a specialty of the Tra Khuc riverside region, Quang Ngai province.

In the morning, the fish was still wriggling and fresh. Put the fish in a clay pot, add spices such as chili, onion, pepper, add enough water to cover, and simmer for more than an hour until it is firm.

It sounds simple but you have to know how to braise it or the fish will fall apart. To make a special braised fish dish with the right flavor of Quang region, you have to use special spices of Quang region such as Ky Tan fish sauce, An Thoi white sugar, Ly Son garlic, and fragrant and spicy wild pepper.

Like that, the fish is both chewy, fragrant and salty, can be eaten with white rice forever without getting bored. People often say: "Goby fish braised with pepper, sweet fish cooked with thieu".

The most delicious is the sand goby fish in Tra River called "Tra giang sa ngu". Recently, Tra River goby fish was recognized as one of the 50 most delicious dishes in Vietnam.

It is the flavor of a sunny and windy Central countryside, of the Tra River in its early dry season, of the March sunshine shining like honey on the clear blue river...

Source: https://danviet.vn/dac-san-quang-ngai-ke-ra-vo-so-ca-bong-song-tra-khuc-voi-nha-giau-dai-gia-la-dinh-cua-thuong-hang-20240821230704615.htm