Food is a favorite past time for many in Asia. It’s also a very important element of Asian culture, and it will definitely give you a flavor of the local lifestyle and culture! There are a greater number of cuisines and seafood is part of it. Fresh seafood is abundant in the tropical destinations: lobster, crab, mussels, shrimp, prawn, abalone, scallop, squid, octopus, clams, cockles, salmon, snapper, cuttlefish, parrot fish, etc…

Every nation has her own way of preparing the dishes & her own specialties. Thus is impossible for Aisa to rate - you have to try them for yourself! Even if you are not a fan of seafood, you can always find something else on to menu to suit your taste bud! Aisa would like to remind you to have imitation shark fin soup instead of the real one, in an effort to help protect the environment.

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Goa | Goan Seafood

Goan cuisine is influenced by its Hindu origin and Portuguese colonialism. Comparing to other Indian food, Goad cuisine is less spicy. Fish and seafood are staples in Goa. Kingfish is a common item. The famous dishes include:

Ambot Tik is a sour & spicy curry dish prepared with either fish or meat. Recheado is to stuff the whole fish, usually a mackerel or pomfret, with fried spicy red paste. Recheado means stuffed in Portuguese. Balchao is fish or prawn cooked in dark red and tangy sauce. Caldeirada is mildly flavored fish or pawn stew with vegetables.

Malaysia | Malay Seafood

Malay cuisine is spicy and flavorful. Seasoning is very important in Malay food to enhance the taste and flavor. Malay often uses Assam Jawa, or tamarind paste, in fish or seafood dishes to add a sour or tangy taste. Belacan, or shrimp paste, is made from fermented baby shrimp or brine. It’s common in Malay dishes but you may not like the smell if you are new to it.

The famous dishes include Ikan Masak Assam Pedas - prawn cooked in a hot chili sauce; Nangka Masak Lemak, fish cooked with tamarind and sambal or hot chilies; Ayam Panggan, prawns or squid in a spicy chili belacan sauce.

Singapore | Singapore Seafood

Singapore cuisine is influenced by Chinese, Malay and Indian, but and it has evolved into a cuisine of its own over the years.

The unofficial national dish, chili crab, is hard shell crabs cooked in a thick tomato-chili sauce and served with Chinese buns to soak up the yummy gravy. The crab is usually Sri Lankan crab. Prepare to get messy. Aisa does advise you to bring a date for it!

Another dish is drunken shrimp. A bowl of live shrimp were soaked in liquor, and the shrimp quickly get drunk. The not-so-drunken shrimp could hop in your mouth! Aisa thinks it can be a bit cruel but nonetheless it’s a specialty and an experience. Other delicacies include black pepper crab, white pepper crab, barbecued stingray, fried oyster,  crunchy deep fried baby squid, etc.

East Coast Seafood center is the most famous area for seafood with a number of seafood restaurants. Jumbo Seafood and No Signboard Seafood are two most popular chain seafood restaurants in Singapore. Singapore holds food festival in July to celebrate Singapore cuisine.

Thailand | Thai Seafood

Thai Cuisine is famous for its curries. And they tend to use coconut milk in cooking, especially in the South. There are a great variety of seafood, and it’s very difficult to include everything. A few things Aisa would recommend: Thai Lemon Shrimp, Shrimp and green mango curry, Thai drunken fish, coconut shrimp, crab cakes, chili squid, seafood curry, Thai Chili crab, grilled salmon in dark sweet Thai sauce.

Phuket intentional seafood festival aims to promote the delicious varieties of seafood around the island in every May. It’s already a celebration of the fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. The festival features a parade, cultural performances and plenty of seafood!

Vietnam | Vietnamese seafood

Vietnamese cuisine is influenced by Chinese and French cuisine, and it’s also known for its common use of fish sauce (Nuoc Mam).

Seafood is always fresh by necessity because refrigeration is expensive. So the chef would shop in the morning when the boats arrive with daily catch, and serve it for lunch and dinner. The famous dishes include Ca Cuson, a roll with fish and spring onions; Chao Tom, prawn paste or cake on sugarcane; Mam, salted fish in different styles. Aisa had one of the best seafood meals here!

Nha Trang is famous for its fresh seafood. One of Nha Trang’s specialties is Yen bird nest soup. Nha Trang has the most Yen birds in Vietnam. Bird’s nests are collected naturally or in bird’s farms in the islands. Although it can be difficult to find English menu outside tourist places in Nha Trang.