Nam O is a small village of Hoa Hiep Nam ward, Lien Chieu district, Da Nang. In the past it was locally famous for fish sauce and fire-cracker productions. Since the Vietnamese Government banned fire-cracker production, trade and use in 1995, Nam O has been known for its long-standing fish sauce industry and the extremely famous fish salad/fish rolls.

 

To make this dish, the villagers’d pick the freshest herrings (or small anchovies), remove the heads and tails and fillet them. Then slightly press the fillets to extract some juice and marinade with ginger, galingale, minced garlic, lemon, vinegar… for about an hour until the fish meat becomes medium rare after absorbing all the acids and spices. After that the fish fillets are coated with roasted corn and peanut powder. The fish juice extracted, along with some other spices, would be used to make a special dipping sauce for the dish. Of course to make the final fish rolls, fresh greens and herbs are vital. What’s different about eating rolls in Nam O is that the greens and herbs here are picked from the forests up on Hai Van pass. It is believed that wild forest vegetables can help eliminate the smell of raw fish.

Unlike sashimi of Japan, this fish dish of Da Nang is half-cooked; combined with the dipping sauce, spices and fresh greens, you can barely taste the rawness. Instead it leaves a very mild and pleasant mouthfeel. To eat this dish you just need to apply the basic rolling technique.

 

There are many restaurants selling the fish salad in Nam O, but it is locally agreed that Thanh Huong restaurant (1029 Nguyen Luong Bang) serves the best fish salad in the area. This restaurant is very spacious and has beautiful view over the Cu De river. Besides fish salad they also serve many other dishes which are all reasonably priced.

 

 

 

 

Where: Thanh Hương – 1029 Nguyễn Lương Bằng

 

How to get there: At the end of Nguyễn Tất Thành St, turn left to Nguyễn Lương Bằng St., and then turn right. The restaurant will be on the left side of the street (opposite 936 Nguyễn Lương Bằng)