When talking about seafood dishes in Phú Quý cuisine, one cannot ignore dishes made from mackerel. This seafood is not only famous for its delicious and fragrant meat but is also closely associated with Phú Quý Island through an old name: Cù Lao Thu – meaning the island of abundant mackerel.

Many sources also mention that the name Cù Lao Thu comes from the island’s shape, which resembles a mackerel fish, hence the name. The official name of the island during the French colonial period was Poulo-Cécir-de-Mer (“Island of the Sea”), paired with Poulo-Cécir-de-Terre (“Island of the Land”) referring to Cù Lao Câu (Hòn Câu Island, Bình Thuận).