Located in the Northeast region, the island district of Van Don boasts abundant seafood resources with high economic value. Among them, peanut worms are a special seafood that impresses every visitor to Van Don.
Van Don travel: Unforgettable rare and nutritious peanut worm specialty
Unlike other species, harvesting peanut worms depends on the ebb and flow of the tide; they can only be dug up when the water recedes. Peanut worms are a long-renowned rare specialty found only in the waters of Quan Lan, Van Don.
Van Don peanut worms. Photo: Science and Development Newspaper.
From peanut worms, many distinctive island dishes can be prepared, such as stir-fried peanut worms, deep-fried peanut worms, and peanut worm soup with piper lolot leaves... delicious and unique, carrying the salty flavor of the sea that delights tourists visiting Van Don.
Digging for peanut worms. Photo: Tuoi Tre Newspaper.
Peanut worms live in coastal sandbanks, especially the front and back tidal flats of Quan Lan, and are also known as sea worms, earth ginseng, sand worms, sea grubs... Quan Lan peanut worms are pinkish-gray and larger in size than those in other places; in the past, peanut worms were mainly used as fishing bait.
Quick hands and sharp eyes. Photo: Tuoi Tre Newspaper.
Digging for peanut worms is hard work, requiring sharp eyes and quick hands—an expertise accumulated by women after years of carrying spades to the beach to harvest regardless of the weather.
Peanut worm diggers are hardworking women. Photo: Tuoi Tre Newspaper.
The women's gear is very simple: conical hats, scarves covering their faces leaving only their eyes exposed, sand-digging spades, and baskets for holding peanut worms, as they diligently comb the sandbanks.
The harvest after several hours of hard work. Photo: Tuoi Tre Newspaper.
Upon spotting traces of peanut worms, they swiftly thrust their shovels down and fling the earth up, quickly catching the peanut worm just as it surfaces. Before sunrise, peanut worms have already burrowed deep into the ground, so spotting them is by no means easy.
Quickly catching a peanut worm. Photo: Dan Viet Newspaper.
The peanut worm season runs from around March to October each year. Buyers only purchase intact ones, so digging peanut worms must be done skillfully to keep them from breaking.
Digging for peanut worms at low tide. Photo: Tuoi Tre Newspaper.
Fresh peanut worms prepared immediately upon bringing them home will retain their utmost fresh flavor. First, the peanut worms must be washed thoroughly, then slit lengthwise and turned inside out to be scrubbed vigorously to remove all sand and fishy odor, and then washed repeatedly until completely clean and pinkish-white in color.
Drying peanut worms. Photo: Quang Ninh Newspaper.
After that, blanch the peanut worms in hot water at 70°C, then rinse with cold water; preparing peanut worms is very elaborate. Cooking peanut worm soup with garden herbs and spices, scallions, garlic, chili, celery, and piper lolot leaves yields a delicious and nutritious dish.
Dried peanut worms roasted in cooking oil. Photo: Quang Ninh Newspaper.
The key in preparing peanut worms is preserving their inherent fresh sweetness. Therefore, cooking peanut worms does not require too many seasonings, avoiding spices that overpower the original flavor of this seafood.
Stir-fried peanut worms with vegetables. Photo: Quang Ninh Newspaper.
In addition to enjoying fresh peanut worms, visitors to Van Don also have the opportunity to bring dried peanut worms home as gifts. Cleaned peanut worms are neatly arranged and dried over honeycomb charcoal rather than sun-dried like many other fish, squid, etc.
Peanut worms cooked with piper lolot leaves. Photo: Quang Ninh Newspaper.
After being dried, the peanut worms are tossed in cooking oil to make sweet and sour stir-fried peanut worms. The cook must stir quickly over the stove so the peanut worms do not burn and attain an attractive golden color. The seasonings for this dish are also very simple: crushed black pepper, lime, and chili sauce, making it very suitable as a drinking snack.
Photo: Tourism Magazine.
Peanut worm meat contains 17 mineral elements and essential amino acids; hence, peanut worms are not only delicious but also nutritious. Therefore, this seafood brings immense nutritional and economic value to the people of the Van Don coastal area.
Peanut worm porridge. Photo: Vnexpress.
Traveling along the length of the country, there are countless dishes that define the character of each region, but perhaps the rich, sweet, and fresh flavor of peanut worms will leave an indelible impression on visitors to Van Don who have tasted it, forever remembering the flavor of this precious dish.
