A feast of a tuna eyeball, maybe not to everyone's taste?

The coastal town of Quy Nhon in the central province of Binh Dinh has many delicacies made from fish, but a stew made from a tuna eyeball is one delicacy which comes highly recommended by local chefs.

This quite unique Vietnamese dish may not necessarily be to everyone’s taste.

But in the coastal city of Quy Nhon, it’s a popular choice on many menus.

The eyeball of a tuna fish, which is stewed, is recommended as a way to get the full enjoyment of the local sea flavors and a dish that is served all across the city.

First the chef first rinses the eyeball in wine and ginger before it is poached in boiling water to get rid of fishy odors.

“Firstly, the fish eyeball should be very fresh,” chef Pham Minh Chien, from Thuan’s Tuna Fish Restaurant. “Secondly, while preparing materials, we should make the eyeballs less smelly.”

The final stew fish eyeball should have a fresh taste and be rich and full of flavor, he said. The broth should be savory and clear and the dish served hot.

In terms of appearance, tuna eyes can look quite scary because they are larger than regular fish eyes. Each eye weighs about 100-200 g and can be transformed by cooking in many different ways such as stewing, cooking in porridge, cooking in soup and hot pot.

A local speciality for Phu Yen and Quy Nhon, one of the unique and creative ways that has become a highlight in the cuisine here, is a recipe of tuna eyes stewed with traditional Chinese medicine.

The dish is combined with many spices including ginger, green onions and pepper to reduce the fishy taste.

People often visit the region just to give the eyeball stew a try.

“I find this dish delicious,” Nguyen Tien Tai, a tourist from Hanoi said. “I have tried it in several places. But in Quy Nhon, this dish at Mrs Thuan’s Tuna Fish Restaurant offers a special flavor. In other places, the fish eyeball tastes a little fishy but here it tastes good, no fishy smell, lots of herbs and strong spices.”

According to nutritionist Nguyen Hai Yen, tuna eyes contain DHA and Omega 3, both considered very good for human brain development.

So don’t turn your nose up to this dish and give tuna eyeball stew a go.