Cat fish @ Ikan keli

Cat fish belong to Clariidae family have different species such as clarias batu, clarias macrocephalus and etc. I never try freshwater fish, because since kids my mum never served us with freshwater fish. My mum said freshwater fish taste too fishy unlike saltwater fish. But a few months ago, when I was in northern peninsular of Malaysia, I saw lots of fried catfish with sambal served in the food outlets at the highway or even in the town. I was influenced by my colleagues from West Malaysia to try catfish or know as ikan lele in Indonesia. So, out of my curiosity, I tried. Emm...it tasted just like other fish and delicious.

In fact, catfish was claimed to have medicinal benefits. Fresh Omega-3 can be derived from the polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids in catfish. Omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to many health benefits including cardiovascular, brain, and visual improvement. Another freshwater fish, Ikan haruan (ophiocehalus striatus) or knows as snakehead fish is also good to heal cuts. I still remember after I had undergone major surgery before, my mum forced me to take Pati Ikan Haruan….it tasted yuck, but I have no choice. It’s good to heal internal incision.