8 Tasty Indonesian Foods for Seafood Lovers

Indonesia consists of so many islands which are surrounded by oceans. As a maritime country, no wonder Indonesia has a lot of seafood. Do you love seafood? You must know these 8 tasty foods in Indonesia!

1. Rendang Lokan

One of the top delicious food of West Sumatera and Indonesia is rendang. Rendang is usually made from beef. But do you know that rendang can be made from fish? In Padang, there is a different rendang called Rendang Lokan. Lokan is a kind of scallop. Its shell is black.

The seasoning of Rendang Lokan is similar with common rendang. There are coconut milk, red chilli, shallot, garlic, ginger, turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, and some other leaves.

Before being seasoned, the Lokan has to be boiled in order to make it easier being taken out from the shell. Many shops sell Rendang Lokan in Padang, the price is about Rp 90.000 per kilogram.

2. Gulai Kepala Ikan

Still in Padang, West Sumatera, another signature dish is Gulai Kepala Ikan. Just like the taste of most dishes from Padang, it is spicy and also savory. It is basically a fish head with curry soup. The most common fishes being used are red snappers and groupers because they have a lot of meat.

First of all, the fish must be greased with lime to eliminate the fishy odor. After that, the ground spices are prepared, there are shallot, chilli, tomato, turmeric, coriander, ginger, lemongrass, galangal, coconut milk, and some other leaves.

The spices are cooked in only a short time, the put the fish head into the seasoning. This dish can be easily found in Jabodetabek. You can eat it in any Padang restaurants.

3. Anggau

Mentawai is one of Indonesian paradise islands you should totally visit. Going to Mentawai, there is a popular dish called Anggau. Anggau itself is basically a kind of an endemic crab from Mentawai island.

The body looks purple, it shell is black, and the claws looks red. Anggau is only harvested once a year, so every year there will be a festival called Muanggau Festival.

Local people usually only boil the Anggau with simple seasonings. The spices that can be added to enrich the taste are shallot, salt, lemongrass, etc.

4. Masam Jing

In Aceh, there is a popular seafood called Masam Jing. This dish can be easily found in Takengon, the capital of Central Aceh. If you come to Teluk One-One, you can choose the fish to be cooked as Masam Jing by yourself.

The word ‘masam’ means sour, and ‘jing’ means spicy. So you can imagine how is the taste of Masam Jing. The soup is thick , so delicious. Some fishes that are commonly used to make Masam Jing are tilapia fish, pomfret fish, and parrot fish.

The seasoning contains shallot, chilli, turmeric, and sunti acid. It can also be made with some additional ingredients, such as red beans, potato, chayote, and long beans.

5. Sotong Pangkong

In Pontianak, one of must things to do in Pontianak is trying Sotong Pangkong. Sotong is actually a kind of squid that has a big size. It is called Sotong Pangkong because the ‘Sotong’ is beaten, or local people say ‘Pangkong’.  This dish can be easily found along Jalan Merdeka, Pontianak.

The ‘sotong’ is being dried up and then it will be griiled. After grilling, the ‘sotong’ will be beaten. It is served with peanut sauce which must be so delicious. The price is also affordable. It is only Rp 20.000 to Rp 30.000 per portion.

6. Cakalang Rica-Rica

Manado has been popular with its spicy foods, this is also one of reasons why you should visit Sulawesi. A seafood that might have been very famous in Manado is Cakalang Rica-Rica.

It is savory and has a typical spicy taste. In Manado, there is a jargon nimbole makan kalo nda ada rica which means cannot eat without chilli. No wonder if Manado foods are mostly spicy.

Cakalang Rica-Rica is basically made from Cakalang fish. It is usually found in Teluk Bitung. The fish is cleaned up and the scales are removed. After that, it is greased with salt and soda powder.

Then the fish will be smoked until the meat looks red around 4 hours, and being cooled down for 2 hours. It will has dry texture outside, but tender inside. Last, the fish is cooked with some ingredients, some of them are spring onion, lemongrass, ginger, and chilli.

7. Brekecek

In Cilacap, Central Java, there is a seafood with unique name called Brekecek. ‘Brek’ itself means being dropped or being put, while ‘kecek’ means being mixed. The main ingredient is fish head, it can use any kinds of fish. This is the iconic dish of Cilacap.

First of all, the fish head is cut into pieces. After that it will be cooked with the ingredients, some of them are chilli, turmeric garlic, shallot, lemongrass, ginger, lemon, and salt. It tastes really good!

8. Gohu Ikan

Last but not least is one of tasty maluku foods from Ternate, North Maluku. It is Gohu Ikan. This dish is also called Indonesian Sashimi. It is because Gohu Ikan is served with a raw fish, just like Sashimi. The main ingredient is Tuna or Cakalang.

The fish is cut into diced, cleaned up, and greased with salt and lemon in order to eliminate the fishy odor. Next, it will be mixed with basil and rested for a moment.

While waiting the fish, the seasoning can be prepared, including shallot and chill that are sautéed for a while, after that being poured on the fish. It tastes sour, fresh, a little bit sweet, and savory. You can eat it with rice or sago.

Those are 8 tasty seafood in Indonesia you have to try. Which one you think is the most delicious?