Seafood by the sea

Nha Trang is a fishing city before it is anything else, and its evenings smell of seafood on the grill. Every night, along the seafront and in the backstreets, tables fill up around tanks and ice trays holding the day’s catch: crabs, clams, prawns, squid, sea snails and fish of every size.

How it works

In most seafood restaurants you do not order from a menu. You walk to the display, point at what you want and agree on how it should be cooked. Prices are usually listed per kilo, and the staff weigh your choice in front of you. Then you sit down with a cold drink and wait for plates to arrive one by one.

It is a social, noisy way to eat, best done in a group so you can try many things.

What to order

Grilled scallops with spring onion oil. Scallops on the half shell, grilled over charcoal and topped with chopped spring onions in hot oil and crushed roasted peanuts. This is the dish to start with.

Squid. Grilled whole, stir-fried with vegetables or steamed with ginger. Squid fishing is a major industry here, and it is excellent.

Clams and snails. Steamed with lemongrass, or stir-fried with garlic and butter. Locals love the many varieties of sea snail, eaten with a small pin.

Lobster. The islands south of Nha Trang, around Cam Ranh, are known for lobster farming. It is a special-occasion dish and priced accordingly.

The dipping sauces

What makes a seafood dinner here is the table of sauces. Salt and pepper with lime. Green chilli salt. Fish sauce with garlic. Tamarind. Every place has its own versions, and mixing your own is part of the fun.

A good seafood dinner in Nha Trang ends late, with shells piled high and nobody in a hurry.