Perut ikan – pickled fish stomach.

Perut ikan means fish stomach in the Malay language. It is also the name of the popular Nyonya curry of which the main ingredient is pickled fish stomach. The perut ikan in the image above were given to me by my former neighbour who is a fishmonger at the Rifle Range wet market in Penang. He kept the fish stomachs that he usually discarded and pickled them in a glass jar for me.

The method of preserving the stomach is very simple. The stomach is first cut into strips. This allows for a more thorough preservation and easier storage. The strips are cleaned and drained. Coarse salt is added and mixed well. They are then packed into a glass jar, sealed and kept for several months.

The stomachs from larger fishes are preferred as they are thicker. Thicker stomachs are also chewier. In the olden days larger fishes were served only during festivals. Stomachs from these fishes were pickled as and when they were available. They were salted and kept until there were sufficient quantity for cooking. Nowadays, bottled perut ikan can be bought at selected wet markets. If it is not available, one can get fresh fish stomachs from the wet market and pickle it with little effort.