Salty taste of the sea

(Baonghean) - For generations, clam harvesting has been closely linked to the lives of the people of Cua Lo. Simple dishes made from clams have become a specialty with the unique salty taste of Cua Lo sea, delighting tourists from all over.

Around 6 a.m., Cua Hoi beach began to bustle. Fishing boats returning from offshore were lined up one after another. In the distance, figures of people raking for clams bobbed on the waves, looking like tiny dots in the vast ocean. The sounds of voices, laughter, and calls mingled with the waves.

As a son of a coastal village, accustomed to the sun and wind, Hoang Van Trung (Nghi Huong ward) immerses himself in clamming from dawn every day. In the vast ocean, only a small figure can be seen moving across the water's surface, accompanied by the rhythmic scraping of the rake and the rustling of the clams being washed. As the sun rises, illuminating his sun-tanned face beneath his straw hat, Trung raises his bag of clams above the water's surface, proudly saying, "The tide came up early today, so I started raking at over 4 am. And luckily, I've already collected about 5 kilograms of various types of clams and mussels."

Clam rake

Clam harvesting is a job that follows the tides, sometimes requiring workers to start harvesting in the middle of the night. Despite the hardship, Trung rarely takes a day off. His father passed away early, and his mother single-handedly struggled to make ends meet, doing everything from selling sugarcane juice to working as a waitress at restaurants during tourist seasons. To help his mother, since elementary school, Trung has followed the women in his neighborhood to harvest clams along the Cua Lo beach. According to Trung, this is a job that is "a little tough, but requires no capital investment, and whether it's a little or a lot, you earn an income every day." Previously, clams only cost 10-15 thousand dong per kilogram, but now the price has risen to 50-60 thousand dong per kilogram.

Normally, he earns about 2-3 kg of clams, but on lucky days, he gets even more. Because of this, clam-gathering trips have provided daily meals for the whole family, as well as clothes and school supplies for Trung and his two brothers. Now, Trung works as an aluminum and glass door maker at a production facility in Cua Lo town, earning an income to help support his family. But every morning, Trung still diligently works with the waves. The familiar sea area where Trung and other clam gatherers work is the neighboring areas of Nghi Huong and Nghi Thuy... this is where the currents meet, so the clams in this area are more abundant and plump. According to the experience of those who have spent their lives working with the tides, to gather large, plump clams, one must go hundreds of meters from the shore. Only when the water reaches chest level, raking and scooping along with the waves, can they catch a lot of clams.

The waves continued to gently lap against the shore, and the villagers continued their arduous work. As the sun rose and the tide increased, the clam gatherers gradually retreated towards the beach. Those who "went out to sea" returned, but the clam gatherers began a new day's work. On the beach in the early morning, the women sat sprawled, one hand holding an iron tool, diligently digging and searching for clams beneath the sand. Along the beach, we met an old woman patiently gathering clams. She told us that she was now seventy years old and had dedicated almost that many years to clam gathering... The strong sea breeze soothed the harsh summer sun as the old woman, searching for tiny clams, occasionally paused to chat with tourists strolling along the beach.

She smiled toothlessly: “Land-dwelling clams are usually smaller than offshore clams, but they’re all equally delicious. There are many types of clams, flower clams (with patterns like those on ceramic glaze) and white clams. But no matter the type, they must be firm and heavy in your hand… only then will they be fresh and tasty.” The joy of the people in this coastal village isn’t just about the days of abundant clam harvests; it’s also about their daily interactions with tourists from all over. In their stories to visitors about their profession, about their livelihoods thanks to the sea, there’s also a sense of pride in their dreamy and attractive hometown beach and about the unique seafood that has become a specialty of Cua Lo tourist beach.

Clams harvested by hand are mainly supplied to restaurants specializing in seaside dining. Meanwhile, the clams harvested by the women are often bought by tourists who love fresh seafood as souvenirs. The locals don't forget to advise buyers on how to soak and rinse the clams to remove all the sand before preparing them into delicious and nutritious dishes. Clam dishes are indispensable in meals served to beach tourists this summer. Anyone who has visited Cua Lo beach should try the clam porridge, prepared with a unique recipe (clams are boiled to make the broth, while the clam meat is stir-fried with shallots and spices) to experience the delicious flavor of white rice blended with the rich sweetness of clams, creating an elegant dish. This simple dish has delighted countless tourists who stop by this place.

Sea clams are also prepared in various dishes by restaurants: steamed clams with lemongrass, stir-fried clams with betel leaves and coriander, or with sour bamboo shoots; but the most appealing is clam soup cooked in sour broth. The mild, refreshing taste combined with the sweet and cool flavor of the clams makes a summer meal even more warm and sweet. A delightful experience in Cua Lo is slurping the clam soup while simultaneously picking out the shells and savoring the fresh, sweet, and chewy clam meat, still retaining its original sea flavor... creating a unique characteristic of Cua Lo's seafood cuisine. When enjoying it, one seems to feel the taste of the sun, the wind, and the sweat and hard work of the people of this coastal region.

Dinh Nguyet