Pepesan or Pepesan Ikan is one of the Indonesian dishes so many people fall in love with. It is fish with Indonesian spice paste (called bumbu) smeared on top and steamed in banana leaves.

Bumbu? Banana leaves? How can I buy such things? I need to make it for friends who are coming over for dinner TONIGHT!

Don’t worry. I figured out how to make something very close to the real pepesan with ingredients you could find in a local supermarket.

I live in a town in the Netherlands where Asian population is small, so what I can buy at the local stores are quite basic, although I do admit they are doing better and better in the recent years! (Note: The Netherlands has a special past with Indonesia, so Dutch people are quite familiar with Indonesian dishes in general, like British people with Indian dishes. Because of this history, Dutch supermarkets might have bigger assortments of Indonesian ingredients than in other countries.)

My uncle-in-law has Indonesian roots, and honestly, he makes the best pepesan I ever had! I used his pepesan and his tips as a reference and tried to recreate his version of pepesan which looks rather different than the usual one – no banana leaves, and the fish and spice paste are all stirred up!

He does this because he hates fish bones. (Can anyone relate?) That’s why he discards all the bones by flaking steamed or smoked mackerel BEFORE mixing it with the spice paste. I must say it’s rather eater-friendly, especially if you are sharing the dish with several people.

I made the recipe so easy that there is basically no handy tips necessary, and pretty much foolproof. …Oh, one thing: if you can’t find steamed or smoked mackerel in the store, just buy raw headed-and-gutted mackerel. Give it a wash, pat it dry, sprinkle some salt, and cook (broil or steam) it for 10 minutes or so, and then get rid of skin and bones by gently flaking the fish meat.

I know my pepesan is not “authentic” at all, but I rather make something close to it with ingredients I already have at home and enjoy often than never making it because I can’t buy the authentic ingredients! Life is too short.

I hope you like it as much as my family and friends love it!

Print Recipe

Foolproof Pepesan (Indonesian Spicy Mackerel)

Tasty pepesan made with ingredients you have at home. Easy to make, easy to eat!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indonesian

Keyword: easy

Servings: 4

Equipment

• blender
• spatula
• frying pan

Ingredients

• 1 medium-size onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 20 g ginger about the size of a thumb
• 2 tbsp kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
• 1 1/2 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
• 2 tsp tomato puree
• 1 piece red chilli
• 1 tbsp Sambal Bajak
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp lemongrass powder
• 1/4 tsp laos (galangal) powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 300 g smoked mackerel, flakes
• 1 tbsp oil
• a small bunch coriander or flat-leaf parsley
• a handful fried onion

Instructions

• Roughly chop the medium-sized onion into small pieces. Also chop red chili into a few pieces. Get rid of seeds if you don't like it too hot.
• Add all ingredients except mackerel and lemon juice to a cup of a blender and pulse for about 5 seconds. Open the lid and see if all the ingredients formed an uniform paste (called bumbu). If not, use a spatula to wipe down the sides and pulse again.
• Put 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and warm it up. Add the bumbu and stir-fry for 5 minutes until the aroma is released.
• Roughly flake the mackerel with forks or with your hands and add all to the pan. Make sure all bones are removed. Mix the fish flakes and the bumb and stir-fry for another few minutes.
  
• Add lemon juice. Garnish with a sprinkle of coriander or flat-leave parsley and fried onion.
  

Notes

If you can’t find steamed or smoked mackerel in a store, just buy raw headed-and-gutted mackerel. Give it a wash, pat it dry, sprinkle some salt and cook (broil or steam) it for 10 minutes or so. When it is cooked through, get rid of the skin and bones by gently flaking the fish.