Dong Thap is well-known with lotuses lagoon, large mangrove forests and the romantic beauty of Sa Dec flower garden. In addition, limitless expanses of paddy fields are also one of the special traits of Mekong delta.

Grilled Loc fish wrapped in new lotus leaves is done

Grilled fish wrapped in new lotus leaves seem to appear in the lotus land of Dong Thap. Visiting to this area, it is a big pity if tourists forget to taste grilled Loc fish rolled in lotus leaves.  “Loc fish” are also known as snakeheads, and in In Vietnam, they are called “ca loc”, “ca qua”, or “ca chuoi”. The time for choosing the best Loc fishes is in the begging of rainy season when there are many eggs in the Loc fishes ‘bellies. On the other hand, in the beginning of a year according to lunar calendar, you can catch the best Loc fishes also. Once you have the best Loc fishes, no matter how you cook, all dishes will be delicious. Read more: travel to Vietnam

In the flooding season, density of Loc fishes here is higher than other seasons. To have a good grilled fish wrapped in new lotus leaves, the chef always choose freshwater fishes with the weight ranging from 800g to 1kg because they are the best at that time.

Lotus leaves create the featured fragrance for Loc fish

The loc fish is cleaned carefully and skewered longwise with bamboo. Then it is covered with a layer of straw, clay or banana leaves and grilled over charcoal.

Travelling to Dong Thap and resorts here, almost places serve tourists grilled fish. Whether Loc fishes are grilled with bamboo or straw, the chef always keep all parts of this fish. Once the fish is done, the chef will pour onion leaves and fried peanut on the surface of Loc fish. Tourists will eat this dish with the sauce made from Linh fish sauce with the mix of garlic, chilli, tamarind. Travel South Vietnam

Sauce is evitable in every meal if you eat grilled Loc fish rolled in new lotus leaves

The most attraction of grilled fish wrapped in new lotus leaves is a combination between the special food of the southern area and recipe of local people. In addition, New lotus leaves make loc fish more fragrant and more delicious. Moreover, the sauce with lots of ingredients also makes this food more special.

Sometimes the chef will replace lotus leaves by straw for grilling Loc fish

You can always have a chance to taste grilled fish wrapped in new lotus leaves whenever you travel Ho Chi Minh city around the year. It is easy to book a tour for lotus lagoon in Dong Thap province even from Ho Chi Minh or online. You can book a Mekong tour from Saigon on boat trip traveling around Dong thap such as shampoo cruise Mekong, river cruise Mekong, Mekong Eyes cruise, etc. Pre-booking via a travel agent or your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City will be a good recommendation for you to have much safer and cheaper option.

The Indochina Voyages team.

Read more:

• Mekong Delta with extension to Cambodia 7 days
• Mekong Off the beaten Path with extension to Cambodia 12 days
• Southern Vietnam with extension to Cambodia 10 days