7 Seafood You Must Try During Your Goa Tour

A Goa tour is about having fun- beaches, parties, music, and much more. However, you can’t ignore the rich Goan cuisine that has a lot to offer for every tourist. The very mention of Goa stirs a strong emotion in many of us. There are many things to do in Goa like partying with friends at the famous beaches, sightseeing in the historical places like the fort and the old Portuguese-era structures, water sports and so on.

However, have you ever thought of exploring traditional Goan cuisines? You might be in for a pleasant surprise. Start exploring the flavours of Goa with the following seven Goan seafood delicacies. 

• Fish Recheado

Recheado means “stuffed up” in Portuguese. The Recheado paste is made from ginger, garlic, spices, chillies, and vinegar. The paste is stuffed into Pomfret or Mackerel, after which the fish is shallow fried with onions till it becomes crisp and golden brown.

The result is the famous seafood of Goa, the tangy Fish Recheado.

• Crab Xacuti

Crab Xacuti is a curry made of spices and crabs. At first, the crab boiled after removing its claws. Next, it’s mixed into the curry. Sometimes, an egg is added to make the curry thicker. 

The dish is so delicious that it is often considered the best seafood in Goa by many seafood lovers.

• Shark Ambot Tik

Ambot means “Sour”, and Tik means “Spicy” in Portuguese. Shark Ambot Tik is acclaimed seafood in Goa made with red chillies, local herbs, and Kokum. Shark meat is tossed into a spicy curry and cooked with onions and tomatoes. 

• Pork Vindaloo

Meat lovers simply can’t resist this quintessential Goan cuisine of Portuguese origin. Pork, onions, garlic, chillis, and vinegar- all go into making this dish. The mixture of pork, masala, and vinegar is left overnight. After that, it is fried with onions and other herbs. 

• Chicken Cafreal

Every chicken lover's delight, Chicken Cafreal is a spicy dish prepared by shallow frying spice-coated whole chicken legs. It's a stand-alone dish often served with salads. A minor issue, though, is that you need to be hungry to finish one serving as the quantity is sizable.

• Samarachi Kodi

Traditional seafood of Goa, Samarachi Kodi is a Goan dry prawn curry. Its main ingredients are dry prawns, coconut, tamarind, onion, and tomato, which are fried together in a spicy masala. Additionally, coconut milk provides a rich texture to the dish. The dish is best enjoyed with steamy hot rice. 

Kingfish Dishes

Kingfish is also known as Vison or Visvan in Goa. It is used in many Goan dishes. Two of the popular kingfish-based dishes are:

• Kingfish Rawa Fry: - light semolina-coated fish fillets that are fried to form a soft interior but a crispy exterior. 

• Surmai Curry: - a fish curry prepared with grated onion.

Apart from the dishes mentioned above, Goan cuisine has an extensive repertoire to explore. Club Mahindra operates many top-of-the-line Goa resorts like Club Mahindra Assonora, Club Mahindra Acacia Palms, Club Mahindra Varca, and Club Mahindra Emerald Palms, where you can enjoy authentic Goan cuisine and a comfortable stay.

So, plan the places to visit in Goa in advance and parallelly explore the local cuisines on offer. Apart from satisfying your soul with a sumptuous Gaon meal, you will also get to know the local culture better. Food for thought, literally.