Top 10 Best Processed Fish Dishes in Southeast Asia: Pempek Takes the Crown

The culinary and tourism guide website *Taste Atlas* has released a list of the 10 best processed fish dishes in Southeast Asia. Three Indonesian culinary specialties made the list.

Pempek ranks first as the best processed fish dish in September 2023, scoring 4.7 out of 5 points.

Pempek is a traditional Palembang, South Sumatra dish made from ground fish, usually snakehead or mackerel, and tapioca.

"This round or rectangular food is usually steamed. Then, before serving, the pempek is deep-fried in vegetable oil and cut into bite-sized pieces," wrote *Taste Atlas* in its report.

Second place goes to Indonesian grilled fish (ikan bakar) with a score of 4.6 out of 5 points. This dish can be found throughout the Indonesian archipelago. The fish is usually marinated in chili sauce (sambal), soy sauce (kecap), turmeric, galangal, and other spices, then grilled until cooked.

"*This dish is usually served with dipping sauces such as sambal belacan and sambal kecap*," says *Taste Atlas*.

Third place is *canh chua ca*, a sweet and sour fish soup from Vietnam, scoring 4.5 points. This fish-based soup is characterized by a unique combination of sweet, spicy, and sour flavors. It is served with broth, pineapple chunks, tomatoes, okra, bean sprouts, and other vegetables.

Tenth place is another Indonesian specialty, pecel lele, with a score of 3.9 points.

A serving of pecel lele typically consists of fried catfish, combined with shrimp paste chili sauce (sambal terasi), cucumber, lettuce, and cabbage. It can also be served with white rice, tofu, and tempeh as accompaniments.

Here is the complete list of the 10 best processed fish dishes in Southeast Asia according to *Taste Atlas* as of September 13, 2023:

1. Pempek (Indonesia): 4.7 points
2. Ikan bakar (Indonesia): 4.6 points
3. *Canh chua ca* (Vietnam): 4.5 points
4. *Daing na bangus* (Philippines): 4.3 points
5. *Keropok lekor* (Malaysia): 4.2 points
6. *Pla neung manao* (Thailand): 4.2 points
7. *Daing* (Philippines): 4.1 points
8. *Khanom chin nam ya* (Thailand): 4.1 points
9. *Amok trey* (Cambodia): 4.1 points
10. Pecel lele (Indonesia): 3.9 points