Destination
Hue
The story
Gỏi cá Nam Ô is Da Nang's most distinctive coastal dish and a specialty of the Nam Ô fishing village on the outskirts of the city. Fresh raw anchovies (very small fish, 5 to 8cm) are filleted and cured briefly in lime juice and salt, then tossed with toasted rice powder, ground roasted peanuts, sliced shallot, sliced chili and fresh dill. The cured fish is served with a big plate of rice papers, fresh Vietnamese herbs, lettuce, sliced cucumber and star fruit, plus a specifically Nam Ô dipping sauce called mắm nêm (a fermented fish paste sauce with pineapple, garlic and chili). Diners assemble each roll at the table: wet a rice paper, add herbs, cured fish and vegetables, roll, dip and eat. The dish is one of the most-authentic Vietnamese preparations of raw fish.
Method
Using a small paring knife: slit the belly of each anchovy, remove the head and pull out the entrails. Split the fish along the backbone and remove the spine. You will have 2 fillets per fish. Rinse very briefly in cold water and pat dry.
In a bowl, combine lime juice and salt. Add the anchovy fillets and toss gently. Rest 3 to 5 minutes only; the fish should turn from translucent grey to opaque white. Drain thoroughly.
In a dry pan, toast raw rice over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring, until deep gold and fragrant. Cool briefly. Grind to a coarse powder in a spice grinder or mortar.
In a bowl, combine drained cured fish, toasted rice powder, sliced shallots, ginger julienne, sliced chilies, chopped dill, crushed peanuts, sugar, salt and fish sauce. Toss gently.
Blend mắm nêm, pineapple, garlic, chilies, sugar, lime juice and water into a smooth sauce. Stir in ground peanuts. Divide between small bowls. Warning: mắm nêm is aggressively pungent; small amounts are enough.
Arrange rice papers, herbs, lettuce, star fruit, banana and cucumber on the table. Provide a shallow bowl of warm water for softening rice papers.
Each diner dips a rice paper in warm water for 5 seconds. Lays on a plate. Adds a lettuce leaf, herbs, a spoon of cured fish, some star fruit, banana and cucumber. Rolls tightly. Dips into mắm nêm.
Best eaten fresh. Cured fish holds only briefly; do not prepare hours in advance.
Tips
- Very fresh fish. Non-negotiable. The whole dish depends on the anchovies being caught that day.
- Short lime cure. Three to five minutes only. Longer curing over-firms the fish into ceviche texture, which is not the classical Nam Ô style.
- Mắm nêm is essential. The specific Nam Ô sauce cannot be substituted with regular fish sauce. Any Vietnamese grocer sells it.
- Fresh herbs generously. Half the dish is the herb-mountain wrap.
- Assemble at the table. Do not pre-roll.
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