Now keeping those trends in mind, we come to the use of fish and seafood. Fish is important to Vietnamese cooking because, for the longest time, it was the country’s main source of protein. Lining the coast, fish and seafood were plentiful, and could be easily caught by experienced fishermen. The fish could then be sold to street vendors or procured by families at the market, delivered in unique, tasty recipes from north to south.
Outside of pho, Vietnamese food became known for its various takes on seafood and fish, including prominent uses of fish sauce. Although fish is generally tender, a marinade can heighten the taste and texture. More importantly, marinades on fish and seafood prevent drying as well as a coat of marinade minimizes sticking.
Imagine you’re a street vendor in Vietnam and you know, in order to make a profit, you need to prepare a lot of food. If you’re using fish and seafood, a marinade is necessary to keep it from drying out. This drying would evidently happen eventually, especially if one were to buy a large amount of fish at once and has to wait to sell it.
Another influence on marinades in Vietnamese cooking came from family recipes. A lot of these recipes took popular dishes and added their unique spin on it. Marinades was an opportunity to adjust the taste of fish and seafood to one’s liking. Like pho, marinades were something you could spend a long period of time working on, adding explosive flavors and creating a unique balance.
This is the basis on which a lot of fish marinades and seafood marinades in Vietnam are built. Whether it’s firm or flaky fish, marinades could completely change the taste of it. As fish was so plentiful, this created new recipes and prevented that feeling of having the same foods repeatedly.
If you’re looking for Vietnamese grilled fish, fish sauce, seafood, or Vietnamese-style marinated fish, come down to TorontoPHO. From our stovetop to your plate, enjoy some of our favourite recipes from traditions new and old across Vietnam.
