Make leaves soft in advance
Cold banana leaves tear when wrinkled. Short heating makes it supple and strengthens its scent without cooking it.
Indonesian Recipe
Pepes Ikan in banana leaves
The leaf pack keeps the fish juicy while steaming and absorbs the fragrant herbs. Short grilling at the end roasts the banana leaf and brings a fine smoke aroma.
Total time
1 hr 45 min
Calories
480 kcal
Servings
4 servings
Difficulty
Medium
Why this recipe works
Indonesian Spicefish from the fragrant banana-leaf parcel
Pepes is a common cooking method for fish, tofu and other ingredients in Indonesia. Banana leaves form a damp shell, but are not intended for eating with them. Mackerel tolerates the intense spice paste particularly well. After steaming, the fish is already cooked; the short time on grill or grill pan serves only the aroma and the slightly roasted surface of the package.
Lunch
Dinner
Indonesian Recipes
Fish
Recipe
Pepes Ikan in banana leaves
For Pepes Ikan, mackerel is steamed with an aromatic paste of shallots, chilli, turmeric, ginger and kemirine nuts in the banana leaf and grilled briefly.
Ingredients
4 servings
Method
-
1
Clean and season fish
Rinse mackerel cold inside and outside, pat dry very well and cut three times flat on each side. Rub in with lime juice and a teaspoon of salt.
-
2
Grinding spice paste
Finely puree shallots, garlic, kemirin nuts, turmeric, ginger, chilli, coriander, palm sugar and remaining salt with two tablespoons of water.
-
3
Fry the paste
Heat oil and fry spice paste for 7 to 8 minutes over medium heat. Stir in lemongrass and lime leaf strips in the last minute.
-
4
Prepare banana leaves
Clean the leaves and pull them over heat briefly or pour them over with boiling water until they become soft and flexible. Spread out two pieces slightly overlapping.
-
5
Fill fish packages
Put some tomato and basil on the leaves. Sprinkle mackerel inside and outside with paste, place on top and cover with remaining tomato and basil.
-
6
Wrap densely
Fold long sides over the fish, fold down ends and secure with wooden skewers or kitchen yarn. Packages should be closed, but not tightened.
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7
Gently dampen
Put packets in a preheated steam set and dampen covered for 28 to 32 minutes. The fish is cooked when the meat is easily detached from the middle bone.
-
8
Roast the leaves briefly
Cooked packages on hot grilled pan or grill each side to roast 2 to 3 minutes until the leaves get dark spots and smell.
-
9
Gently open
Place parcels on plates and open away from the body as hot steam escapes. Do not eat banana leaf; serve fish with rice and lime clefts.
Kitchen know-how
Tips for Pepes Ikan in banana leaves
First steam, then grill
Steaming cooks the fish reliably and juicyly. The grill remains a short aroma step, so that leaf and spice paste do not burn.
Variations
How to adapt this recipe
Use four solid fish fillets from 180 to 200 g each and wrap separately. Reduce the damping time to about 18 minutes.
If no banana leaves are available, use double baking paper packs. The result remains juicy, but has less leaf aroma.
Nutrition per serving
480kcal
12.0 gCarbohydrates
46.0 gProtein
29.0 gFat
Values are estimates per serving and may vary depending on the ingredients, brands, portion size and preparation method used.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Pepes Ikan in banana leaves
Mackerel is particularly suitable because of its strong taste. Dorade, sea bass or solid white fish fillets also work well.
No. They serve as an aromatic cooking shell and are removed before eating. Only fish, spice paste, tomatoes and herbs are eaten.
In the steam it cooks evenly and remains juicy. Short grilling afterwards roasts the leaf without exposing the fish to long dry heat.
Asia shops usually sell them deep-frozen. Slowly thaw, rinse, pat dry and briefly heat before folding.
The meat is no longer translucent, dissolves easily from the middle ridge and reaches at the thickest point about 63 °C.
Keep cooking