Ha Long is not only home to a beautiful bay; it also attracts visitors with its diverse cuisine, featuring 8 famous dishes that are a must-try.
1. Hand-pounded squid cakes
Squid cakes are considered the “soul” of Ha Long cuisine. Although squid cakes are also found in many other places, the flavor in Ha Long is always distinctive.
Squid cakes are likened to the “tourism ambassador of Ha Long”
The special feature of this dish lies in its traditional handmade pounding method. After being cleaned, the squid is pounded by hand until it reaches the desired chewiness, then seasoned and fried until golden. Squid cakes are often eaten with hot steamed rice rolls or fragrant, soft white sticky rice. Don’t forget to enjoy squid cakes for an energizing breakfast when traveling to Ha Long!
Hand-pounded squid cakes. Photo: Ha Long Hand-Pounded Squid Cakes Fanpage
2. Sá sùng sea worms
Sá sùng is one of the most expensive and rarest types of seafood in Ha Long. This seafood mainly lives in coastal sandy areas and is highly nutritious, making it a favorite among diners.
Fresh sá sùng is commonly prepared in dishes such as stir-fried with celery and garlic, cooked as porridge, or steamed. When eaten, diners can taste its natural sweetness along with its characteristic chewy, rich texture.
Sá sùng porridge
Dried sá sùng is also a famous specialty that many people buy as a gift. Once roasted until golden, sá sùng releases an appealing aroma and becomes an enticing drinking snack.
3. Cù kỳ crab noodle soup
Cù kỳ crab noodle soup is a famous breakfast dish loved by many visitors when traveling to Ha Long. Cù kỳ is a type of sea crab with large claws, firm meat, and a naturally delicate sweetness.
Cù kỳ crab noodle soup
To cook this noodle dish, the chef separates the cù kỳ’s body and simmers it to make the broth. As a result, the broth has a distinctive delicate sweetness and a rich seafood aroma.
A full bowl of cù kỳ crab noodle soup usually includes rich, creamy roe, firm and sweet meat, and thick, meaty cù kỳ claws.
4. Horseshoe crab
From a single horseshoe crab, Ha Long residents can prepare dishes such as steamed horseshoe crab, horseshoe crab salad, lemongrass and chili stir-fried horseshoe crab, sweet-and-sour stir-fried horseshoe crab legs, stir-fried glass noodles with horseshoe crab, or crispy fried horseshoe crab eggs. Each dish has its own flavor while retaining the characteristic sweetness of horseshoe crab meat. The price of each horseshoe crab usually ranges from 50,000 – 70,000 VND, depending on its size.
Horseshoe crab prepared in many different dishes
5. Ngán sea clam
Although it has a rather unusual name, ngán sea clam is a specialty loved by many visitors when traveling to Ha Long. This species resembles a clam but is much larger and has considerably thicker meat.
Ngán has a distinctive sweetness and aroma and can be prepared in many different delicious dishes. The most popular are grilled ngán with scallion oil, steamed ngán with lemongrass, ngán soup, and stir-fried noodles with ngán.
Ngán sea clam
6. Ruốc lỗ long-legged octopus
Ruốc lỗ, also known as long-legged ruốc, is a rather special type of seafood from the waters of Quang Ninh. It is related to octopuses but is much smaller.
The most interesting feature of ruốc lỗ is its characteristic long legs. Its meat is naturally crisp and sweet, without being tough.
Ruốc lỗ
7. Bánh gật gù rice rolls
Bánh gật gù is a famous rustic dish from Quang Ninh. The rolls are made from finely ground rice flour, steamed into thin sheets, and then rolled into long, soft rolls.
Bánh gật gù is usually served with steamed fish sauce, fried shallots, or richly flavored caramelized pork.
Bánh gật gù rice rolls
8. Ha Long yogurt with tapioca pearls
Yogurt with tapioca pearls is the ideal dessert to round off a culinary journey in Ha Long. This dish is delicious thanks to the combination of smooth, chewy yogurt with a refreshing taste and chewy tapioca pearls immersed in rich coconut milk. It also comes with various other toppings such as dried coconut, aloe vera, or fruit jelly.
Ha Long yogurt with tapioca pearls – a dessert you cannot miss
