Fried Fish Stuffed with Sambal (Rempah Fish)
Published Sep 30, 2009
Updated Dec 10, 2024
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Fried Fish Stuffed with Sambal (Rempah Fish) - Penang Nyonya specialty that is well-loved by many Peranakan/Nyonya-Baba families.
If there is one Nyonya dish that I wish I could make in the United States but couldn’t, this rempah fish or fried fish stuffed with sambal would probably be it.
Why? Because a true and authentic Nyonya rempah fish (‘Hu Chee Rempah” in Penang Hokkien) can only be made with hardtail mackerel, a fish that is not available in the waters here. If you don’t have hardtail mackerel (or “Ngeh Buey” in Hokkien), you simply don’t make rempah fish because other fish will do no justice to this dish and will not deliver the essence, texture, and authentic flavor.
Yes, Nyonya will not compromise when it comes to ingredients used in Nyonya food…
So words can’t even begin to recite how I’ve missed my late mother’s rempah fish, a recipe she had perfected. Her rempah fish was always sublime, with aromatic and moist sambal plus perfect balance of flavors, and let’s not forget about the charred sambal paste oozing out of the fish.
But consider ourselves lucky, my sister-in-law did cook side-by-side with my mother and helped her make rempah fish on countless occasions. I asked her to recreate the dish for this blog and she nailed it.
Here is our recipe for rempah fish—a Penang Nyonya specialty that is well-loved by many Peranakan/Nyonya-Baba families. If you go to Penang, you might find it at economy rice stalls if you are lucky!
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 113 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Fried Fish Stuffed With Sambal
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Fried Fish Stuffed with Sambal (Rempah Fish)
Ingredients
- 2 hardtail mackerel, ikan cincaru
Spice Paste:
- 3 fresh red chilies
- 5 dried chilies
- 10-12 shallots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon belacan
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon tamarind pulp, soak in 1/4 cup water, extract juice and discard pulps
- 1/4 cup oil
Instructions
- Clean and rinse the fish with water. Using a sharp knife, make a deep slit along the bone on one side of the fish, then repeat on the other side.
- Blend the spice paste in a mini food processor or use a mortar and pestle to pound it into a smooth mixture.
- Heat a wok with 3 tablespoons of oil, then add the spice paste and stir-fry over low heat until aromatic. Add the tamarind juice and continue to stir-fry until the spice paste is smooth and slightly moist, but not overly runny. Season to taste with salt and sugar. Dish out and let cool.
- Stuff the spice paste into the slits on both sides of the fish and also inside the fish's cavity.
- Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a wok and deep-fry the fish until cooked. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very good!
Hi,
Just to share, my mum used to add in finely shred kaffir lime leaves into the rempah and it’s devine.
Yes correct, my mom used to do that too.