Ba Khia

Ba Khia is a small and dark freshwater crab; and usually seen at salinity-intruded forests along the coast of Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau provinces. They look like Cua Dong (field crabs) with three stripes on their back, two brown-red pincers, a slightly red belly and eight legs with soft fur at the tips.

Around July, August is the annual lunaris the Ba Khia’s season. This type of Ba Khia eat black fall fruit sauce, therefore it has lipstick brick, aromatic meat and just three ways to make more elsewhere. 

The dishes from Ba Khia are served popularly at local restaurants. Ba Khia is made different dishes such as: Ba Khia salad, salt-fried Ba Khia, etc but the most popular dish is salted crab mixed with chili, garlic, refined sugar, lemon juice and Vietnamese mint.
After catching Ba Khia, washed and salted it on the spot. Salt permeability for about 5 to 7 days and nights can be eaten. Next is salt Ba Khía, you need to be careful that salt it not too salty, not too light salt. So if the meat salty gasoline, even if the flesh colors too weak stomach, loss of appetite.

In addition, Ba Khia is also cooked with lemongrass sauce. Sauce is made very simple but no less special, including minced lemongrass, mixed with fresh rice, the spicy little pepper to create and give a little more seasoning to taste. 

Ba Khia will bring a pungent smell and sweet, salty and sour taste, which are classic hallmarks of regional Mekong cuisine. Specially, the rustic flavor from Ba Khia is enhanced by the interior decoration of the local restaurants with their bamboo table sets and bamboo food booths; and bamboo products surrounding such as: bamboo fish traps, bamboo vegetable baskets.