'Most expensive fish ever in my life': Woman tries $1,000 river fish in Malaysia

Just one bite of this steamed fish would probably set you back a cool $50.

One woman was fortunate enough to try the famed empurau fish during her trip to Sibu, Sarawak — home to the prized, not to mention pricey, freshwater fish.

In a video shared on Thursday (Feb 16), Singapore-based content creator Kerryn Lee posted about the experience of eating a fish that cost more than $1,000.

"The most expensive fish ever in my life," captioned Kerryn. The empurau is also known by its nickname "wang bu liao" in Mandarin, which translates to "unforgettable". No prizes for guessing why.

"So expensive, eat already confirm cannot forget," Kerryn quipped.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@kerrynlee/video/7200402223430372610[/embed]

The clip showed the unassuming steamed fish being presented before the woman and her dining companions dig in.

"This fish is expensive because it's very hard to get," said Kerryn, sharing that it's caught "upstream of the Rajang river in Sibu".

What makes the fish so unique and tasty, Kerryn and other online sources tell us, is that its staple diet consists of fruits that drop into the river from overhanging trees, particularly fruit from the native engkabang tree. The fruit is what's said to give the empurau fish its distinct taste.

And because of its price, no part of the fish goes to waste. Its scales were deep-fried to a crisp and transformed into another tasty dish.

The big question remains, though — is it worth the $1,000 price tag?

According to Kerryn, the flesh of the fish is "really tender", juicy and "melts in your mouth", adding that no sauce is needed to enjoy it.

She then asks viewers to share if they think the empurau fish is worth trying.

While taste is often said to be subjective, many were expectedly put off by the price.

"Nothing special, soon hock tastes better," one commenter opined. "Not worth lah… just a fish $1k," wrote another.

Yet others found better ways to spend the money.

But of course, there are those who believe #YOLO.

In her clip, Kerryn shared that the fish costs RM800 (S$241) to RM1,300 (S$393) per kilo in Malaysia, adding that "in Singapore confirm more expensive".

However, a search online threw up places in Singapore selling the fresh and cooked versions for cheaper, although it's not clear if these are wild-caught or farmed.

According to a 2021 report in Malaysia's Bernama, wild empurau fish (also known as "King of the River" locally) can fetch anything from RM800 to RM1,000 per kilo. Its rarity, slow growth and seasonal reproductive rate contributes to its sky-high prices.

One trader interviewed by the agency shared that empuraru fish weighing more than three or four kilos are typically sold at a higher price, because of their dense and chewy flesh.

candicecai@asiaone.com