Go 'digging' for Hung Nguyen

(Baonghean.vn) - The Lam Nghe An River flowing through Hung Nguyen (near the sea) provides the local people with a unique natural resource: clams and crabs. Clams and crabs are not only delicious, clean daily food, but also create jobs and income for hundreds of local households.

A flower crab in Hung Nguyen.Clams have a crab-like shape and hairy legs.

Mussels reproduce quickly and in large numbers, living in brackish water areas along rivers such as mudflats, sedge flats, and bald streams. Crabs often dig shallow burrows along rivers and fields to hide and swim with the current. In Hung Nguyen, people in communes along Lam River such as Hung Loi, Hung Nhan, Hung Khanh, Hung Lam, Hung Phu, etc. often go fishing for mussels and crabs to improve their meals and earn extra income.

Depending on the specific conditions of each region, local people have suitable ways to catch clams and crabs. In the morning, in the river banks with mud and sedge, fishermen row their boats along the shore, set up 2 wooden planks to herd clams into buckets, basins or spread out a rectangular net with a 7-8 meter long strip at the back. Then, 2 people hold tree branches to herd clams from the sedge bushes into the pre-set net.

People who do not have nets or boats can use mineral water bottles or cooking oil bottles, cut off the neck, add bait (bran, snail meat, etc.) and place them close to the mud in places with clams along the river, wait for many clams to come in, then pour them into a bucket.

In the evening, when the temperature drops, crabs and fish come out of their holes. People put on lamps and walk along the river banks and creeks to collect them.

Catching crabs and clams by dropping tubes with bait, snail meat, etc. in the tubes is a simple but effective way.

The results of a day of catching crabs and crabs by Hung Nguyen people

Hung Loi commune is the place where the most crabs and clams are caught in the district, about 20-30 tons/month (crabs account for a small number, about 1/100). In hamlet 2, in addition to the households that go to catch crabs and clams on the go, there are 2 households that have been doing this job for many years. Every day, they go to work on their boats at 2-3am and return at 9-10am, catching 20-30kg of crabs/boat each session.

Nowadays, clams and crabs have become specialties and are transported to other provinces. The catching and trading of clams and crabs has gradually become more active. The caught clams and crabs are often brought to purchasing facilities to be packaged and shipped to Hai Phong and Hanoi every day.

Caught crabs are brought to the purchasing place, cleaned and classified.

Crabs and crabs are prepared to be packaged and sent to the provinces.

Clams and crabs can be processed into many nutritious dishes. After being pre-processed, clams and crabs can be steamed, boiled, fried, cooked in soup, made into patties... depending on the preferences of each person and each family. Particularly, the crab sauce made from clam meat with salt, galangal, and fermented rice powder is a favorite specialty of many people, with a unique flavor.

Specialty fish sauce eaten with boiled sweet potato leaves. Photo: Internet

Huy Thu