Skip to content

Sour Fish – Riau Style

Origin: Riau Mainland

Ingredients
  

  • 750 g Mackerel, cut in 3 cm thick or mackerel steak
  • 1 pc lime, halved
  • 5 pc large red chillies, de-seeded
  • 2 pc tomato, quartered
  • ½ tsp ground pepper
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1 tsp sugar to taste
  • 400 ml water

Spices, finely sliced

  • 3 pc large red chillies, finely sliced
  • 6 pc shallots, finely sliced
  • 2 cm fresh ginger, thinly sliced
  • 5 pc kaffir lime leaf, finely sliced
  • 1 stem lemon grass, outer leaves discarded, finely sliced
Sour Fish - Riau Style

Sour Fish – Riau Style

Here it a typical cuisine of Riau mainland Province: Ikan Cuka. Ikan Cuka literally means "vinegar fish". I don't know why this dish called it so, eventhough this recipe contains no vinegar/rice vinegar but lime juice. Maybe because it taste sour which is identic to vinegar's taste 😉
Note: Usually this dish made with Ikan Tenggiri or Narrow-Barred Spanish Mackerel but I replace it with common mackerel which available here in Germany.
It tastes also good. Of course you can take any sort of fish as your choice. If the fresh fish not available, using the frozen fish steak makes a good result as well.
The sauce tastes very tasty, doesn't matter what kind of fish you cook. Have a try and be surprised 😉

Instructions

  • Clean the fish, rub with salt and a half of lime juice. Keep aside for 15 minutes. (Afterward, don't clean/rinse the fish with water)
    Clean the fish
  • Blend the deseeded large red chillies until smoooth. Put aside.
    large red chillies
  • Heat 50 ml oil in a frying pan, fry the fish until golden brown.
    fry the fish
  • Turn them over and keep frying until both side done. Set aside to drain.
    until fish is golden brown
  • Prepare all sliced spices and other ingredients.
    prepare ingredients
  • Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok/shallow pan, sautee the sliced shallots until fragrant. (approx. 2 minutes)
    sautee the sliced shallots
  • Add the blended chillies and stir to mix.
    add chillies
  • Add sliced spices (chillies, ginger, kaffir-lime leaves and lemon grass). Sautee all the time until fragrant. (approx. 3-5 minutes)
    Add sliced spices
  • Add 400 ml water & bring all to boil.
    boil with water
  • Add salt, ground pepper, nutmeg and sugar.
    salt, pepper, nutmeg
  • Add the sliced tomato and the remaining lime juice. Taste, add salt or sugar if necessary.
    add lemon juice
  • Add the fried fish into the pan & simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Make sure the fish are not overcooked.
    add fried fish
  • Adjust the taste with salt & sugar if necessary. Stir to mix & remove from heat. Serve hot.
    adjust the taste
Endang Lestari
Keyword fish, Riau

popular Indonesian recipes

“Thank You for visiting my site. I won’t bother you with my life stories LOL :-D. Just get the recipe, have fun while cooking and enjoy your meal!”

Endang SW Lestari