Recipes

Crispy Fried Catfish Recipe

Name: Crispy Fried Catfish Recipe
Prep time: 25 Minutes
Yield: 2 Servings
Ingredients: 2 large catfish, cleaned (gutted and sharp fins removed); 1 lime; 400 ml Nabati Cermelang cooking oil (for deep fry); 3 cloves garlic; 1 tsp coriander seeds; 2 cm turmeric; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp bouillon powder; Garnish: Sambal (shrimp paste or lamongan style), fresh vegetables (cucumber, basil, cabbage).

Fried Catfish (Ikan Lele Goreng) is the king of Indonesian street food, especially at the tent stalls (warung tenda) of pecel lele or lamongan. This dish is beloved for its extreme textural contrast: a skin fried so crispy it "kriuks" (crunches), paired with tender, savory, and slightly sweet meat.

Published November 14, 2025

Quick 25 Minutes

Serves 2 Servings

Difficulty Easy

Scroll for full method, ingredients, and chef’s notes.

Ingredients

What you need

Gather everything first for a smoother cooking flow.

2 large catfish, cleaned (gutted and sharp fins removed)
1 lime
400 ml Nabati Cermelang cooking oil (for deep fry)
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 cm turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bouillon powder
Garnish: Sambal (shrimp paste or lamongan style), fresh vegetables (cucumber, basil, cabbage).

Method

Step-by-step

1
Lightly score both sides of the catfish.
2
Rub the catfish with lime juice to remove slime and fishy odor. Gently massage. Rinse until clean and no longer slimy.
3
Coat the catfish evenly with the "Marinade Paste". Let it sit for at least 15 minutes for the flavors to penetrate.
4
Prepare a wok. Pour a generous amount of Nabati Cermelang cooking oil. Heat over medium-high heat.
5
Important: Ensure the oil is extremely hot. Catfish contains a lot of water, and hot oil is the key to preventing it from sticking and making it crispy.
6
Anti-stick & anti-splatter tip: Before frying, lightly dredge the catfish in a thin layer of all-purpose flour or rice flour. This will absorb residual moisture on the skin.
7
Carefully lower the catfish into the hot oil. Fry one side first, do not flip. Be careful, catfish can splatter violently. It's best to cover the wok initially.
8
Fry until the bottom side looks firm, dry, and crispy (about 5-7 minutes).
9
Flip the catfish (only one flip is needed) and fry the other side until completely dry and crispy.
10
Remove the fish and drain in an upright position (if possible) so the oil drips off quickly and the crispiness is maintained.

Chef’s Notes

Tips & extra guidance

Fried Catfish (Ikan Lele Goreng) is the king of Indonesian street food, especially at the tent stalls (warung tenda) of pecel lele or lamongan. This dish is beloved for its extreme textural contrast: a skin fried so crispy it "kriuks" (crunches), paired with tender, savory, and slightly sweet meat. While it looks simple, frying catfish is an art form, as this fish is notoriously "wild"—it often splatters and sticks to the pan if the technique is wrong.

The key to successfully frying catfish lies absolutely in using a large volume of hot cooking oil (deep fry). Nabati Cermelang cooking oil, with its high smoke point, is essential for this recipe. Catfish has high water content and (even after cleaning) a slimy skin. When the catfish enters extremely hot oil, the water on its surface vaporizes instantly. This reaction is what immediately creates a crispy crust on the skin, while also preventing the skin from sticking to the wok's bottom.

If the oil is not hot enough, instead of vaporizing the water, the oil will mix with it. This not only causes dangerous splattering but also makes the catfish skin soggy, stick to the pan, and break apart when flipped. The stable heat of Nabati Cermelang oil ensures the dehydration process on the skin is fast and efficient, transforming the once-slippery skin into the coveted crispy layer of the dish.

The deep-frying process also ensures even heat distribution throughout the fish, cooking the meat perfectly without needing to be flipped multiple times (which risks breaking the fish). The result is a Fried Catfish that is perfectly dry on the outside, not excessively greasy, with meat that is still tender inside. Served with sambal and fresh vegetables, this dish is tangible proof of how high-quality cooking oil is the primary factor in conquering a difficult ingredient like catfish.