Related news Chill this summer with Hanoi specialty: cold snail noodles Ecopark longan fair to promote Hung Yen’s specialty fruit Luc Nam increases value of specialty products Trang Tien ice cream, a Hanoian specialty Com – A Vietnamese specialty

"Honestly, I have joined many parties and exchanges in different places but it is the first time I have eaten this kind of crab. It is delicious! I will definitely take my friends here to enjoy it," complimented Tran Van Long, one of my close friends from Hanoi, after he was invited to enjoy the food by several friends in Yen Dung a few days ago. Long's praise is also that of many other people when eating Da crab.

Da crabs are made into many dishes.

According to the explanation of locals, it is called Da crab because it has a skin on nippers. Some people call it "ra (going out) crab" because it is related to the proverb "crabs scrawl out in September and scrawl in during March”. However, Da crab is still more popular. This crab lives mainly in the rapids along the Thuong River and part of the Cau River flowing through Dong Viet, Dong Phuc, Duc Giang and Thang Cuong communes.

Regarding appearance, Da crabs nearly look like field crabs but their size and weight is 3-4 times larger (80-200gram per head on average). They have long legs and their two nippers are covered with a layer of hair. The Da crab season only lasts from the ninth to the 11th lunar month.

Tran Duc Chien, a “clinking” chef of Thuong Cuc restaurant in Neo township (Yen Dung district), shared that compared with field and sea crabs, Da crab meat is sweeter and more delicious and their cover is soft and thin. When being cooked, their cover becomes very attractive and eye-catching. When eating, people do not need to use pliers to break crab cover and nippers.

Da crab can be processed into many dishes such as those steamed with beer and roasted with salt or tamarind, soup and hotspot ... but probably the most delicious is Da crab steamed with beer, ginger and citronella, eaten together with salt and mustard. If a table with six people eating only crabs with some side dishes costs about 1.5-1.8 million VND. As a rare species, sometimes, people who want to eat Da crabs must order 1-2 days before.

The most delicious is Da crab steamed with beer, ginger and citronella.

To "hunt" Da crabs, river inhabitants have to work hard and understand their characteristics and habitats. Tran Van Luan, a native of Dong Viet commune, who has been working as a fisherman for nearly 20 years and he is also an experienced Da crab "hunter", said: Previously, the Da crab population was very large but in recent years, due to living environment changes and increasing demand, the crabs are becoming fewer. 

They usually live in the river bed. If we want to catch them, we must use the eight-sign nets. When the water level rises, the crabs float and travel a lot. But when the water level goes down, the crabs lie in a place and move less so it is difficult to catch them.

Every day, at about 7pm, he uses a boat to put the net to the bottom of the river. By 2-3am the next morning, he pulls up the net. The largest volume is only 3-4 kg per day. "If restaurants want to buy much, our brothers must gather all we catch together," Luan said.

Da crabs hotspot.

On average, each kilo of Da crabs delivered to restaurants costs from 300,000-400,000 VND, depending on the type. Many traders from Bac Ninh and Hai Duong also come to buy the crabs but the quantity is not large. At present, there are about 20 people specializing in catching Da crabs along the Cau and Thuong Rivers. Dishes from Da crabs now appear on luxury party tables at restaurants and hotels.

Coming to Yen Dung these days, in the cool weather of the late autumn, visitors not only visit and contemplate the famous landscapes in the land of the Phoenix but also enjoy the attractive Da crab dishes. That is why tourists have many impressions when visiting this land.

‘Khau nhuc’ – A signature dish of Lang Son province

‘Khau nhuc’, a type of braised pork belly seasoned with several kinds of herbs, is one of the must-try dishes for gourmets visiting Vietnam’s northern province of Lang Son.

 

Vietnam’s signature dishes introduced in Ukraine

Fried spring rolls and “Pho” (noodle served with beef) – two signature dishes of Vietnam – have been introduced to students majoring in hospitality at a university in Ukraine.

 

Pha Lau – An exotic dish of Saigoneese

Found in the list of the must-try street food in Saigon, Pha Lau is also supposed to be a specialty you should taste when coming to Ho Chi Minh city.

 

Snail noodle soup: A dish brings the breath of Hanoi

Like the French, the Vietnamese eat snails too, but not the same kind of snails. They eat oc (Vietnamese freshwater snails), which are smaller and chewier than their land-based cousins. 'Bun oc' (snail noodle soup) is a dish that brings the breath of Hanoi.

 

Salted round eggplant: A side dish that pushes main dishes aside

Any gourmet worth his salt knows that side-dishes are crucial additions to most meals, and some of them are so tasty that they are as important, if not more so than the main dish.

 

Cong Doanh