The second ca mau crab festival, held from 17-20/11 at Phan Ngoc Hien Square in An Xuyen ward, attracted a large crowd of locals and tourists. Approximately 100 chefs from various establishments nationwide participated, preparing 102 distinct dishes. These culinary creations featured ca mau crab expertly blended with specialties from 34 provinces and cities. The festival aimed to honor local culinary values and introduce regional specialties to a wider audience.

Chef Nguyen Duc Hoang from the Tay Nguyen Culinary Culture Association prepared ca mau crab with mang den wild pepper sauce. He stated that this spice is not spicy or bitter, but carries the aroma of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, enhancing the crab meat's flavor.

The silkworm pupa salad with green apple and ca mau crab sauce combines various vegetables and fruits. The highlight is the lemon cream sauce, which has a slightly bitter-sour taste with a sweet finish. This sauce blends well with the fresh fruits, balancing the natural sweetness of the crab meat.

Ca mau crab roe vermicelli has an eye-catching color, attracting visitors. This vermicelli dish features central Vietnamese flavors, with a sauce combining mud crab and crab essence, offering a delicate sweetness.

The crab banh khot was created by a team of chefs from Ho Chi Minh City, with the aim of popularizing it locally in the future. This type of savory pancake typically has shrimp or squid filling, but is now replaced with crab meat. This change offers a new flavor while retaining the characteristic sweetness of ca mau crab.

Ca mau crab stir-fried with vinh chau shallots combines two specialties from Ca Mau and Can Tho. This dish is served with white rice. Using familiar ingredients like crab, shallots, and asparagus, the chefs created a harmonious and nutritious meal.

Beyond traditional dishes, many chefs also created Western-style dishes using local ingredients. A prime example is crab spaghetti with waxy coconut cream sauce. The soft, chewy spaghetti noodles blend with ca mau crab meat, combined with the rich, aromatic waxy coconut cream sauce, creating a distinctive flavor.

The team of chefs from Tien Giang province presented three dishes: ca mau crab roe salad, ca mau crab with tan phuoc pineapple sauce, and braised ca mau crab soup. The dishes were beautifully arranged, incorporating lotus flowers to attract viewers.

Visitors were surprised by the stir-fried crab with wild rice stem and garlic butter crab dishes from the team representing An Giang province. Each team prepared small portions of their dishes, making it easy for visitors to sample.

Ly Vi Trieu Duong, deputy director of the provincial department of culture, sports, and tourism, emphasized Ca Mau's status as Vietnam's "crab capital." The province boasts over 360,000 hectares dedicated to crab farming, yielding more than 36,000 tons annually. Ca mau crab is not just a culinary brand for the Mui region but also a vital source of sustainable income for local residents.

By Chuc Ly