Gỏi Sứa (Southern term) or Nộm Sứa (Northern term) is a Vietnamese salad featuring jellyfish as the star ingredient. It is a refreshing, light, and uniquely textural dish celebrated throughout the coastal regions of Vietnam, often served as an appetizer or a light meal, especially popular during hot summer months.
Basic Information on Gỏi Sứa / Nộm Sứa
What is Gỏi Sứa?
Gỏi or Nộm refers to a Vietnamese dry salad, similar to a slaw, characterized by its fresh herbs and a tangy, savory dressing. Sứa means jellyfish.
The Key Ingredient: Jellyfish:
The main appeal of the dish is the texture: the jellyfish, after careful processing, is crisp, crunchy, and slightly chewy (giòn sần sật), with a very mild flavor that easily absorbs the dressing.
Preparation: Fresh jellyfish requires rigorous preparation (often involving soaking in saltwater or alum) to eliminate toxicity and achieve the desired firm, crunchy texture. Most commercial preparations use pre-treated, safe-to-eat jellyfish.
The Components:
Crunchy Base: Sliced jellyfish, shredded green mango (xoài xanh), cucumber, carrot, and sometimes lotus root (ngó sen).
Protein: Shredded chicken (gà xé), boiled pork belly (thịt heo), or shrimp (tôm) are often added.
Toppings & Herbs: Vietnamese coriander (rau răm), mint, basil, sliced onion, fried shallots, and crushed roasted peanuts.
Types of Gỏi Sứa / Nộm Sứa Dishes
While the core concept remains the same—a crunchy jellyfish salad—variations exist based on the accompanying ingredients:
Gỏi Sứa Xoài Xanh (Jellyfish with Green Mango Salad):
The most common version. The tartness of shredded green mango is essential for balancing the mild flavor of the jellyfish and the richness of any added meat.
Gỏi Sứa Ngó Sen (Jellyfish with Lotus Root Salad):
Lotus root adds another layer of crunchiness and a slightly earthy flavor, making the salad richer in texture.
Nộm Sứa Đỏ (Red Jellyfish Salad – Northern Specialty):
Found predominantly in the North (especially Hải Phòng and Hanoi), this distinct dish uses a specific type of naturally reddish jellyfish. It is often served very simply with perilla leaves and a strong, pungent dipping sauce like fermented shrimp paste (mắm tôm).
Gỏi Sứa Thập Cẩm (Mixed Jellyfish Salad):
A “mixed” salad featuring a combination of shredded poultry/pork, cucumber, carrot, and green mango. This version is richer and more suitable as a main-course accompaniment.
How to Eat Gỏi Sứa / Nộm Sứa
Gỏi Sứa is designed to be a complete, balanced dish in every bite, combining hot, cool, soft, and crunchy elements.
As an Appetizer (Khai Vị):
It is often served on a platter, allowing diners to pick up small portions with chopsticks. The entire salad is mixed just before serving to ensure the crunchy ingredients haven’t wilted from the dressing.
The Dressing:
The salad is dressed with a classic Vietnamese Nước Chấm-style vinaigrette: a perfect blend of sweet (sugar), sour (lime/vinegar), salty (fish sauce), and spicy (chili/garlic). This is drizzled over the entire salad.
With Accompaniments:
Prawn Crackers (Bánh Phồng Tôm): This is the quintessential way to eat Gỏi Sứa in the South. A spoonful of the salad is piled onto a crisp, airy prawn cracker, providing a satisfying, multi-layered crunch.
Rice Paper (Bánh Tráng): Less common than with other gỏi dishes, but sometimes the salad is served with moistened rice paper, allowing diners to roll the salad into fresh spring rolls.
Regional Differences
The difference between Gỏi Sứa and Nộm Sứa reflects the broader culinary distinctions between Vietnam’s regions, particularly in the emphasis on flavor balance and accompanying sauces.
| Region | Flavor Profile & Terminology | Key Ingredients & Presentation |
|---|---|---|
| North (Hanoi) | Nộm Sứa: Subtle, Balanced, & Vinegar-Forward. Northern cuisine is less sweet and favors lighter, more traditional flavors. The use of protein (meat/shrimp) is often modest, focusing instead on the herbs and vegetables. | The term Nộm is preferred. The specialty Nộm Sứa Đỏ is unique to this region and is dipped in a strongly fermented and savory Mắm Tôm (shrimp paste). |
| Central (Huế, Đà Nẵng) | Spicy & Flavorful. The Central region leans into bold, spicy, and often saltier flavors. While sharing the base ingredients, the dressing is typically much spicier with a generous use of fresh chili. | The salads maintain an artistic presentation (influenced by royal cuisine) but are characterized by a noticeable chili kick in the dressing. Often incorporates more local coastal herbs. |
| South (Ho Chi Minh City) | Gỏi Sứa: Sweet, Rich, & Abundant. Southern cuisine incorporates more sugar and is more diverse in ingredients. The dressing is typically sweeter, balancing the tanginess of the green mango. | The term Gỏi is preferred. It is heavily garnished with crushed peanuts and always served with large, crispy prawn crackers (bánh phồng tôm) for scooping. |