Bintulu Fishes

Soon I'll be missing all the fresh fishes of Bintulu. That's because I'll be on my way to Kuching this coming Monday. Bintulu is a haven for fresh seafood. There's hardly any good fish market in Kuching City that is even 50% of what Bintulu is. Anyway this afternoon I dropped by at the fish market along the Sebiew River which is greatly patronised by fish lovers here.

What have we got here? I bought a reasonable sized tuna fish for RM 10. Back at the farm I barbecued it with a dressing of salt and crushed black pepper. It's all about the little things we enjoy in Bintulu......fresh fishes of all types and sizes for diverse menus and likings.

Grilling fish

Bintulu is for fresh fishes. And what I like to do most when they are so very fresh is to grill them. At my farm I used jungle wood to provide the fire and smoke. Yes nothing like the smell of smoke on grilled fish.

CU of the fishes I grilled today. I find that sprinkling the meat with black pepper and salt is a must. Eat them with soy sauce mixed with chillies,onions and lime.

Fresh Evening Fishes

In Bintulu one can shop for fresh fishes in the evening or at night time at many fish stalls that are set up by late afternoon at the Night Market situated at the heart of Bintulu town. A section of the market is devoted to fresh fishes that are harvested from inland fishery ponds operated mainly by the Ibans at the town's outskirts. Two species that are always available are the Patin and Red Tilapia.

Fresh tuna at Bintulu's market

One one my favourites routine when in Bintulu  town is to drop by at the fish market situated at Kampung Baru ,tugged by the lazy the Sebiew River.  At this market you can get fresh tuna very easily because Bintulu is rich in deepwater fishing grounds.  Trawlers and small fishing boats are plenty in Bintulu, a town once known only as a fishing town but now a showpiece of industrial progress. 

The fish monger today has sliced the tuna into slim pieces and a plate of the above costs me RM 8,  weighing slightly more than a kilo . Today the going rate is RM 6/kilo.  I like to fry tuna though it can be barbequed, grilled or prepared in curry or soya sauce.

By the way the local Bintulu Melanaus are great fish eaters and as they say fish is good for the heart.  They live longer here. They even eat fish raw in the form of 'umai' .  If you happen to be in Bintulu and never tried 'umai', you would have miss the real Bintulu.