Fish Rolls with Joy

Bite into a fish roll, and your heart might just skip a beat…

Oh, fish rolls! The mere mention sets your fingers itching to dunk rice paper, layer on fish, pile up herbs, dip it in sauce, and chomp down with a gleeful “Oh, wow!” 

In Vietnam, every region juggles ingredients, spices, and feelings to craft its own dazzling version of fish rolls. From the Central Coast’s steamy, sea-kissed fish rolls to the Southeast’s lotus-scented grilled delights and the Mekong Delta’s crispy, golden wonders, each style tells a tale of fish roll and dipping sauce that’s downright irresistible. Ready? Let’s roll into the feast!

Steamed Fish Rolls

The Central Coast, where the ocean cradles a bounty of fresh fish, serves up steamed fish rolls that’s pure poetry. Among the stars are mackerel and bullet tuna, prized for their sweet, firm flesh and wallet-friendly charm.

Take Quảng Nam’s mackerel rolls with water spinach and mắm nêm. The water spinach snaps with crisp delight, while the mackerels hum with flavor, infused with shallots, chili, and spices. Don’t forget to crumble in some toasted sesame rice paper as quintessential Quảng crunch. Mắm nêm, a velvety fermented fish sauce flecked with garlic, chili, and minced pineapple, wafts a spicy, pungent aroma that dares your taste buds to dive in. This humble fish roll with mắm nêm is simple yet soulful, a flavor so complete it haunts the hearts of far-flung wanderers.

Some folks swap steamed mackerel for braised ones with chili and pineapple until the sauce cloaks the fish in a fragrant, glossy embrace. A thick dipping sauce of fish sauce, sugar, garlic, and chili awaits, jazzed up with a splash of the braising liquid. This braised fish roll struts a sharper edge than its steamed cousin’s rustic charm. Pick your muse or, like me, fall head over heels for both.

Then there’s Phú Yên’s bullet tuna roll with mắm ruột. Ask a local about it, and they’ll puff up with pride, raving like it’s the world’s tastiest dish. Bullet tuna, palm-sized and ocean-fresh, gets a quick marinade before being steamed with scallions for a melt-in-your-mouth depth. Sliced green banana, aromatic herbs, tart starfruit, and green mango join the chorus, with rice paper as the stage.

Cue the maestro: dip the roll into mắm ruột, a dark, seductive potion of fermented tuna innards, crafted to a complex, bittersweet symphony. This isn’t just Phú Yên’s pride; Khánh Hòa and Bình Định claim it too. The roll, bursting with nutty, fatty, salty, and subtly sweet notes, dances with mắm ruột’s enigmatic allure. Delicious! Never judge a dish by its looks, especially when mắm ruột is stealing the show.

Grilled, Fried, and Gourd-Steamed Fish Rolls

The Mekong Delta, with its sprawling fields and winding canals, is a haven for freshwater fish, where the prized snakehead reigns as prince of roll-your-own feasts. 

Picture a plump snakehead, fresh from the Delta’s waters, skewered on a bamboo stick and buried under a blanket of dry straw. The flames crackle and tease, scorching the fish’s skin to char and revealing snowy flesh kissed with the countryside’s sweet smoke. Since the Delta’s pioneering days, cá nướng trui (roasted fish) has perfumed the fields, where straw rustles in the breeze and kites dance under a boundless sky.

Scrape off the charred skin, drizzle with glistening scallion oil, sprinkle with crunchy roasted peanuts, and wrap the fish flesh in tender lotus leaves, freshly plucked from Đồng Tháp’s marshes. These young leaves, delicate and verdant, lend a gentle bitterness and a whisper of lotus scent. The fish’s flesh is joined by pungent Vietnamese coriander, fiery basil, zesty fish mint, and silky rice noodles. Now the roasted fish roll is ready for its soulmate: nước mắm me (tamarind dip sauce).

This tamarind dipping sauce weaves layers of flavor – sweet-sour tamarind, heady fried garlic, fiery chili, and salty fish sauce. The lotus leaf’s elegance dances with the fish, noodles, herbs, and sauce, crafting a melody that lingers in memory.

Compared to the rustic roasted snakehead, deep-fried giant gourami is the glamorous new kid on the block. These hefty fish emerge from sizzling oil golden and crisp, their scales curling like ivory petals. Crunchy scales and sweet flesh pair with delicate bánh hỏi (woven rice vermicelli) or fluffy rice noodle, accented by tart mango, cucumber, lettuce, and herbs. A nimble dipping sauce with fish sauce, sugar, lime, garlic, and chili plays wingman, highlighting the fish’s rich, buttery glory. This deep-fried fish roll with tamarind dip is the Mekong Delta’s go-to for honored guests.

For a quieter charm, try gourd-steamed fish roll. The fish’s tender white flesh nestles among thick slices of young gourd, soaking up the gourd’s sweet juices and a hint of scallion and chili. The fish is firm yet succulent, blending with the gourd’s crisp coolness and a bouquet of herbs. A gossamer rice paper wraps it all like a maiden’s flowing áo dài, cradling the roll’s refined beauty. A gentle sweet-sour dipping sauce leads the flavors home.

Whether the fish is steamed, grilled, or deep-fried, Vietnam’s fish rolls always captivate the diners’ heart. If meat rolls like nem nướng or gỏi cuốn burst with fiery energy, fish rolls flow like water, weaving the fish’s delicate sweetness, the crunch of greens, and the fiery kick of dipping sauces into a seamless embrace. At family dinners or raucous friend gatherings, both meat and fish rolls are cherished with equal fervor.

I’ll never forget those breezy summer evenings with friends, rolling fragrant fish rolls and dipping into pungent mắm nêm, hands busy and laughter ringing. What about you? Is there a fish roll that’s strummed your heartstrings like a guitar? Keep rolling, don’t hesitate! Each bite will be a burst of joy to warm your soul and soothe your hungry belly!

mlefood – Minh Lê