Gỏi nhệch tossed with toasted rice powder (thính) · Photo: Hungda / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
VietnamKim Sơn's Gỏi Cá Nhệch: Wrapping an Eel-Like Coastal Fish in Leaves
In Kim Sơn, Ninh Bình's coastal district, an eel-like fish called cá nhệch is thinly sliced, tossed with toasted rice powder, wrapped in dozens of kinds of leaves and topped with a rich sauce. Here is how it is prepared, sauced and eaten.
Cá Nhệch, a Fish That Looks Like an Eel
Ninh Bình usually brings to mind limestone peaks and rice fields, but Kim Sơn at the province's southern tip is a coastal district on the sea. Its signature delicacy is gỏi cá nhệch. Cá nhệch is described as a relative of the eel. VietNamNet describes it as smooth-skinned, seemingly without legs or fins, strong and rather fierce, similar to an eel but bigger. It can live in salt, fresh and brackish water and is most common in coastal lagoons and estuaries. The same dish exists in coastal villages of Nga Sơn in Thanh Hóa, Hải Phòng, Thái Bình and Nam Định, but both VnExpress and VietNamNet present gỏi cá nhệch as a Kim Sơn specialty.
Painstaking Preparation
With gỏi cá nhệch, preparation decides most of the flavour. According to VietNamNet, cooks choose freshly caught live fish, ideally around 300 to 400 grams. First the slippery slime is scrubbed off with dilute limewater or kitchen ash; VnExpress likewise says the fish is "cleaned in limewater and ash water." The skin is then peeled off with a warm cloth, the guts, head and tail removed, and the flesh separated from the bones. VietNamNet stresses that filleting is the most important step. The flesh is patted dry and sliced thinly. The skin is not thrown away but fried until crisp and served with the dish, and the bones go into the sauce described below. Nothing is wasted.
The Old Way and Today's Way
VietNamNet explains that there is an old way and a newer way of dressing the sliced fish. The old way is to knead the fish with lime juice, squeeze it dry and then toss it with thính, toasted rice powder. The acid firms the flesh as if lightly cooked, and the thính soaks up the remaining moisture and adds a nutty aroma. The newer way is to mix the fish with seasonings, finely ground galangal (riềng) and thinly sliced lemongrass, and serve the thính separately so diners add it themselves, which keeps the powder crisp. The Ninh Bình cuisine entry on Vietnamese Wikipedia also says the fish is thinly sliced and mixed with thính, with the skin fried crisp, showing that toasted rice powder is the foundation of the dish.
Rolled Into a Leaf Cone
The other star of gỏi cá nhệch is the leaves. VietNamNet says dozens of kinds are served depending on the area and taste, listing fig leaves (lá sung), guava leaves, lộc vừng, lá mơ, basil, mùi tàu, đinh lăng, gotu kola (rau má), mint, green banana and cúc tần among them. Here is the order: roll a fig or guava leaf into a cone, add the other leaves and the fish in turn, then spoon the sauce over. Add galangal, dried shallots or chilli to taste. VnExpress notes that locals do not use rice paper; they wrap it only in the crisp fried fish skin or the accompanying leaves. The appeal is the way astringent leaves, rich sauce and sweet fish come together in a single bite.
Chẻo, the Sauce Called the Dish's Soul
The sauce spooned over gỏi cá nhệch is called chẻo, and VietNamNet calls it the "soul" of the dish. Chẻo is made by pounding the fish bones finely and cooking them with pork belly, mẻ (fermented rice), egg and seasonings. The result is a thick, rich, deep-yellow sauce. Because it uses the bones as well, the sauce adds a deep, savoury richness to the delicate fish. One word of caution for travellers: this dish uses uncooked fish. Since locals themselves insist on live fish prepared on the spot, try it at a place whose freshness and hygiene you trust, and when you are feeling well.