When visiting Côn Đảo, besides sightseeing and relaxing, travelers are often eager to enjoy the island’s unique local cuisine. Among these specialties, Côn Đảo oyster sauce (mắm hàu) is one of the most distinctive. This sauce is made from fresh oysters harvested from the rocky shores of the small islands scattered across the Côn Lôn archipelago.
When people think of oysters, familiar dishes come to mind—grilled oysters with scallion oil, oyster porridge, oysters with mustard, steamed oysters with lemongrass—or even more sophisticated creations like baked cheese oysters or spaghetti with oyster sauce.
But for the people of Côn Đảo, oyster sauce is a simple, everyday condiment, sometimes even a main dish during stormy days when going out to sea is impossible. For travelers, a bottle of oyster sauce is a meaningful gift to take home for relatives and friends.
Harvesting oysters around Côn Lôn
Locals recount that oysters thrive along the rocky shores of the smaller islands around Côn Lôn. Each day, depending on the tides, people take small boats to islands such as Tre Lớn, Tre Nhỏ, Tài Anh, Tài Em, Bảy Cạnh, and others to gather oysters.
With only a few simple tools—a pointed hammer, a pair of tweezers, and a bucket—oyster gatherers gently tap the shell of a thumb-sized young oyster. Once the shell loosens, they carefully open it and use tweezers to extract the meat. It sounds simple, but it requires skill: one wrong tap or too much force can crush the delicate oyster meat.
How Côn Đảo oyster sauce is made
According to Ms. Thanh Thủy, owner of a well-known oyster sauce workshop on the island, the preparation is straightforward but requires precision. After removing the shells, the selected oysters (not too large) are washed, drained, then mixed with the right balance of ingredients: sea salt, chili powder, fresh chilies, rice wine, galangal, and more. The mixture is then bottled and left to ferment.
After about 20 days, the sauce turns a bright reddish color, with oyster meat floating on top—ready to eat. The longer it ferments, the deeper and richer the flavor becomes.
Although the recipe seems simple, Ms. Thủy explains that making a delicious oyster sauce requires skillful hands and a good sense of balance—the seasoning must complement the natural sweetness of fresh oysters without overwhelming it.
She notes:
“The oysters must be wild-caught. They are difficult and time-consuming to harvest, so most fishermen prefer to sell them fresh rather than make sauce themselves. But we make oyster sauce so that not only locals but also visitors can enjoy it and take it home as a special gift.”
How to enjoy Côn Đảo oyster sauce
To enjoy oyster sauce, diners simply:
- Scoop out the oyster solids floating on top.
- Add the liquid sauce from the bottom of the bottle into a small bowl.
- Adjust the flavor with garlic, chili, lime, sugar, or MSG depending on preference.
It pairs wonderfully with:
- Steamed rice
- Boiled pork
- Fresh vegetables
- Or best of all: rice paper rolls with pork belly, vermicelli, and fresh herbs
Aside from its irresistible aroma and flavor, Côn Đảo oyster sauce is highly nutritious. Fresh oysters are rich in protein, zinc, magnesium, calcium, glucids, and healthy fats, making this sauce both delicious and wholesome.
A specialty worth bringing home
Despite its relatively high price—120,000 to 150,000 VND per 1-liter bottle—Côn Đảo oyster sauce is always in short supply across local specialty shops.
Visitors can enjoy this dish at beachside eateries along the coastal road and purchase bottled oyster sauce at Côn Đảo Market to bring home as a memorable island gift.
