Raw herring salad
Raw herring salad is a rustic dish but also the favorite one of the locals on Phu Quoc. People call it salad but the way they eat this dish is pretty different from the other normal Vietnamese salads. Shredded coconut and raw fish will be mixed with mint and onion, then wrapped with fresh vegetables in rice paper and dipped in fish sauce. You can also pick up pieces of raw fish, vegetables, coconut and then wrap them all with rice paper. The sauce served with raw herring salad is also very special.
Where to enjoy
Song Xanh restaurant on April 30 street (Price: VND 120,000)
Trung Duong Marina restaurant at 136 30/4 street (Price: VND 110,000)
Grilled “Coi Bien Mai”
Grilled “Coi Bien Mai” is the muscle connected 2 shells of Bien mai – a triagle-shaped shell living in the sea. Coi bien mai is used to cook many tasty dishes such as stir-fried Coi bien mai with fungus, mushroom, onion and green. The best way to cook this food is grilling it with salt and pepper.
Where to enjoy
Song Xanh restaurant on April 30 street.
Trung Duong Marina restaurant at no.136 April 30 street.
Boletus Soup
For the locals, boletus soup is a special dish. Boletus only appears in deep forests in rainy season so it is difficult to plant them. Moreover, these special mushrooms grow and die quickly so they must be picked within one week after the rain. The soup which is made from boletus, fresh squids, shrimps, minced meat and spicy black pepper is definitely an unforgettable dish. If you come to Phu Quoc in dry season, you are just able to enjoy dried or frozen boletus which are absolutely not as good as the fresh ones.
The boletus is now still quite available and popular at many restaurants and eateries in Phu Quoc with affordable prices.
Where to enjoy
Song Xanh restaurant on April 30 street
Vuon Tao restaurant (Apple Garden restaurant) at Cua Lap Hamlet, Duong To commune.
Sea urchin
Sea urchin is considered to be a product that locals both love and hate. Hate because they are easily pinked by urchin’s spines if they are careless when diving. When being pinked, the feeling is sharply painful. However, this edible gold from the ocean has brought a delicacy to Phu Quoc cuisine.
To eat live urchins, fresh urchins have just been caught from the ocean. Sea urchins are cut in half, carefully rinsed and removed all blood vessels inside. Take the yellow roe inside into a bowl, add few drops of lemon and mustard, mix them well and you can enjoy it with mustard greens. However, the most common recipe is grilling.
Where to enjoy
Song Xanh restaurant on April 30 street.
Trung Duong Marina restaurant at no.136, April 30 street.
Flower Crab Rice
Flower crab rice in Phu Quoc has a beautiful yellow color and is served with sliced cucumber, vegetables, sliced tomato and prepared fish sauce. It is a delicious and nutritious dish which hosts a mouth watering flavor.
Where to enjoy
Trung Duong Marina restaurant at no.136, April 30 street.
Vuon Tao restaurant (Apple Garden restaurant) at Cua Lap Hamlet, Duong To commune.