Ikan Empurau

Ikan Empurau Is the most expensive tropical freshwater fish in Malaysia. The best Empurau come from Baleh River, as they tend to have the most tender flesh

Beside in Sarawak, you also can find their traces in Indonesia.

It is the freshwater fish that swim the fastest in the river. It is very smart in nature, difficult to capture and have extraordinary milky taste on its flesh. It has an edible scales and a delicate smell with a hint of wild fruit taste in its flesh.

Empurau Sarawak is considered a large fish species. Normally 3kg and above is considered big fish. Ikan Empurau growth is very slow. 1st year, the weight is only 4.5gram. In 2nd year, it can grow to 1-2 kg. 3rd years later each around 3-5kg. A 7 kg Ikan Empurau take around 10 years to reach that size. Generally, Ikan Empurau size bigger than 5kg is the most delicious to eat.

With its brightly colored scales, majestic look and barbells at the tip of its mouth, it is also known as the King of The River. In Indonesia, most people believe that Ikan Empurau fish is not only that they are considered to be a live talisman who can brings luck & fortune. It have often believed that these magnificent fish could keep its owner from danger by sometimes dying itself.

Ikan Empurau is a high ranked and high demand dish that served only for special occasion and VIP people like in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. It is known as Malaysia Most Expensive Fish. Steamed is the ideal cooking method and fish scales can be fried for edible purpose.

简介

Empurau price at RM550 per kilo. Empurau only can be seen mainly in Sarawak. This freshwater fish is so expensive due to the flesh is sweet, tender and skin cover with brightly colored scales.

Another reason also because this fish eating “Engkabang Fruit” only. It has a delicate smell of wild fruits on its body and flesh.

The best Empurau come from Baleh River, as they tend to have the most tender flesh.
The price of Empurau varies depending on weight.
For fish weighing 2kg and below, the price would be around RM400 per kg.
For Empurau weighing 4kg and above, the market price ranges from RM900 to RM1,000 per kg.
Another factor is which river the fish was caught from – Rajang, Baleh, Katibas or Balui.
The most expensive would be those from Kapit to Pelagus along the Rajang River or Putai, Baleh River.

There are white and red empurau, which can be short or long and this also affects the flesh texture.

For Grade One Super AAA, which fetches the highest prices, the empurau are short with white flesh and weigh between 5kg and 8kg.

The exotic fish was found in abundance several decades ago in the upper reaches of the Rejang River in central Sarawak when the river was still unpolluted by logging activities.

Local fishermen around Kapit River have claimed to have caught Empurau weighing between 50kg and 60kg.

Empurau population in the wild had dwindled drastically and because of the limited catch, the fish now sold between RM400 and RM450 per kg in Kapit.

On the taste of his cultured Empurau, Lu claimed that it was about 95% close to the wild Empurau.

“My own formulated feed for the fish is similar to what the Empurau in the wild feed on. The feed is a mixture of Enkabang fruit (illipe nut), fresh seawater fish, fish oil and vitamin C,” he added.

Lu said the special concrete ponds in his farm were built based on a combination of the Japanese and English pond systems with a good filter system, and that he had invested about RM500,000 in custom-made ozone processors that killed bacteria and algae, and improved the oxygen level in the ponds.

He said the ponds provided very good quality water that was essential for the empurau to breed well.

source : Borneo Post