Kerabu Ikan Sembilang (Catfish Salad)

Kerabu Ikan Sembilang (Catfish Salad)

Ingredients:

1 kg ( about 5-6) live catfish ( from Pasar Tani or better still home reared if you have a pond)
1 cup thick santan(coconut milk from 1 coconut)
10 shallots, sliced finely
4 pips garlic, sliced finely
5 cili padi, sliced finely
2 red cilis, sliced finely
5 limau kesturi ( separate pips from juice, and slice skin finely)
Half teaspoon black pepper
pinch of salt


Method:
1. If possible grill catfish over live coal fire asap after you knock them out and have them cleaned
2. When skin of fish turns crispy and flesh is cooked, remove from fire
3. Pound fish in a "Lesong" to lightly smash it but please retain their fish shape
4. Remove and arrange on a flat dish.
5. Pound lightly all the finely sliced ingredients and black pepper
6. Sprinkle pounded ingredients over the fish in the serving dish
7. Pour thick santan ( to which salt has been added according to taste)
8. Sprinkle the juice from the limau kesturi onto the serving
9. Serve ( for 4 people, with 2 left over for "seconds" by fast eaters)


Tips: Best enjoyed hot and fresh from the fire to the pounder to the table. This is my late Mum's recipe and so far I have not tasted anything better than the one we had at home. I was surprised to find a similar dish in Tahiti (on the island of Moorea) where their fish salad made use of almost the same ingredients, except for the limau kesturi. They had used lemons imported from Australia. But they did not use catfish, it was Marlin and they had used small pieces of fillet smothered in coconut milk and lemon juice. The fish was fresh and raw. It was tasty, rather like sashimi drowned in a concoction of santan and lime. Still delicious but not quite as exquisite as the Kerabu Ikan Sembilang I am accustomed to. I will try to include an illustration later.