Malaysian Seafood Delicacies

As Malaysia has a fairly long coastline (extending over 4,675 kilometers or 2905 miles) and is bordered by many bodies of water including the South China Sea, the Straits of Malacca, the Andaman Sea, the Straits of Johor, the Sulu Sea and the Celebes Sea, it should come as no surprise that seafood features prominently in the Malaysian diet.
Moreover, an abundance of seafood is available in almost every corner of the country and

Malaysian Muslims regard seafood to be halal. They thus regularly consume the bounty from the seas like prawns, shrimps, crabs, squid, sea cucumbers, cuttlefish, clams, cockles, octopus and more. If you love seafood then you should perhaps make it a point to sample the plethora of seafood delicacies served up by the many Malaysian eateries all over the country.

Listed below are some popular Malaysian seafood delights that are readily available in most parts of Malaysia.

Grilled Stingray

In Malaysia, this deadly resident of the oceans is slathered in a spice paste, wrapped in a banana leaf and grilled. The act of grilling the fish in a banana leaf, releases the juices from the fish which mixes with the spice paste to render the fish succulent. Grilled stingray is available at most restaurants and street food stalls in Malaysia.

Ikan Bakar

Ikan Bakar is quite similar to grilled stingray though the fish used in a dish of Ikan Bakar is usually red snapper and the spice paste used as the marinade is known as sambal.

Char Kuay Teow and Asam Laksa

Regional interpretations of popular Malaysian eats like Char Kuay Teow and Laksa feature much seafood in places like Penang, where they are made with seafood like cockles; shrimp paste (belacan), prawns and more.

Asam Pedas

Asam Pedas is a fish based preparation associated with southern Malaysian states like Melaka and Johor. This dish is usually made with fish like Spanish mackerel, stingray or catfish and features gravy made with ingredients like dried chilies, shallots, belacan, torch ginger flower, Vietnamese mint and tamarind juice.

Sambal Udang

Sambal Udang is a Pernakan preparation which features giant prawns served in gravy made with a chili paste(sambal), belacan(shrimp paste) and tamarind paste.

Otak-Otak

The oddly named Otak-Otak is essentially a fish cake crafted with a fish paste made with mackerel which is combined with various other ingredients like chili peppers, garlic, shallots, lemon grass and coconut milk. This fish cake is then wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed or grilled. Otak-Otak is usually consumed with steamed rice or bread. Various regional variations of the dish can be found in areas like Kelantan, where the dish is known as Satar and features more fish and less spice paste.

Keropok Lekor

Keropok Lekor, is the name given to fish fritters, a favored teatime snack in Malaysia. Made with a fish paste, sago flour and salt, these fritters are best enjoyed hot.

Kari Kepala Ikan

Kari Kepala Ikan or fish head curry is yet another much loved seafood preparation in Malaysia. The dish which has Indian roots is made with red snapper which is semi-stewed in spicy, Kerala-style curry which also features vegetables like okra and aubergines. Fish-head curry is best enjoyed with steamed rice or bread.