Seafood market at the beginning of the year

(Baonghean.vn) -Although the market opened on the second day of Tet to promptly serve people's needs, it was not until the fifth and sixth days of Tet that Cua Lo seafood market became bustling again...

The seafood market at the beginning of the year has a variety of products.

After Tet holidays with traditional dishes such as banh chung, beef, pork, etc., many families want to change their seafood dishes. Besides, many people want to buy seafood specialties such as mackerel, shrimp, etc. for their children living far away to bring as gifts. Understanding this psychology, in addition to green vegetables, traders at Cua Lo market often go to the fishing ports to welcome ships that set sail at the beginning of the year to buy the freshest seafood that has just been caught by fishermen and brought ashore. Therefore, the seafood market at the beginning of the year is always fresher than usual.

A very special thing is that even though the new year has just begun, the prices of goods have not fluctuated much, even 10-20% lower than before Tet, the price of mackerel is 170 thousand/kg (10 thousand cheaper than before Tet), selected mackerel is 220 thousand/kg, fresh squid is 220-250 thousand/kg, clams are 15-20 thousand/kg, the scarce and expensive item is still fresh sea shrimp, priced at 500-600 thousand/kg but there is no one to buy because at the beginning of the new year, many boats only go to sea on good days and have not fished far from shore...

Visitors to the seafood market at the beginning of the year are not only locals but also visitors from Vinh, neighboring areas and some domestic and foreign tourists who want to enjoy the winter seascape.

The most popular and best-selling dish in the first days of the new year at the seafood market is still ca ve (grilled fresh herring). For only about 30 thousand VND, customers can buy a batch of about 30 or 40 ca ve to grill on the red-hot charcoal stove in the market, bring home, put in the microwave to heat up and then dip with salt, pepper, lemon, chili and herbs. However, if customers are not familiar with it, they can easily buy flat-headed ca ve, which has many bones and is not as delicious as pointed-headed ca ve. Ms. Long, a fish griller at the seafood market, said: in the first days of the new year, just grilling ca ve and mackerel for customers is often not enough. The price for each grilling is about 10-20 thousand VND.

Many customers choose mackerel as a New Year gift.

Grilled herring, a dish chosen by many people

Dry goods are in high demand.

Mackerel is mainly bought as a gift. Those who buy in large quantities often choose to buy a whole fresh fish, then cut it into pieces, grill it, then freeze it and send it by plane as a gift. Ms. Thu, a customer at the market, said that this morning she bought a whole fresh mackerel weighing about 8 kilos for 1.2 million VND for her family to bring to Ho Chi Minh City as a gift. Buying a whole fish is cheaper and the cut pieces are also more satisfying.

In addition, dried seafood products such as dried shrimp, dried squid, yellowstripe scad, anchovies... are also quite popular after Tet because long-distance transportation is relatively convenient, without having to worry about preservation.

The seafood market in the first days of the new year only opens in the morning and is usually crowded from 9am to 11am. Although the time is not long, going to the market in the first days of the new year not only allows you to buy fresh products, see the typical activities of fishermen in the river area, but also feel the typical salty taste of the sea.

Ly-Ha