A photo of a fish with a hefty price tag recently went viral on social media
The photo, which has been reposted several times across different platforms, shows a fish being sold for RM500 per kg or RM5,700 in total.
One tweet by @humansicks garnered over 8,405 retweets and 12,200 likes. Meanwhile, on Facebook, the image has been shared by pages such as Sabahan TV, Pesan Bonda, and Bintulu INFO.
The pricey fish is actually dubbed the ’empurau’ and it can be found in the rivers of Sabah and Sarawak
Also known as ‘wang bu liao‘ which is Chinese for ‘unforgettable’, the market price for the empurau fish ranges from RM300 up to RM600 per kg.
According to tripsavvy, the empurau owes its expensive price tag to its flavour, which has been described as creamy, savoury, and a little sweet with hints of wild fruit.
The flesh of the fish is also said to be tender. SukaSukaMy explained that this is due to the animal’s diet which consists of fruit that falls off trees and into the river, such as the engkabang fruit.
Some netizens shared that they have eaten the fish before in many different ways
One person wrote, “Just wanted to say that if the scales are big, we would fry them and eat them like chips.”
saja nak bagitau kalau yang besar sisik dia kitorang goreng buat makan macam keropok
— (´`)* * (@tg_nurainn) January 31, 2021
Another person shared, “Here it is. Each fish is 6kg. RM886 per kg. It is expensive but it’s worth it. A lot of health benefits.”
Ni haa 2 ekor.. Seekor 6kg.. RM886 sekilo.. Mmg mahal ikan ni tp worth it makan.. Banyak khasiat.. pic.twitter.com/1QZ8oMJOwc
— kelldrie.ellen (@kelldrieellen) January 31, 2021
“I tried this fish last year. A friend gave it to me. The price was around RM900 because it was small. A friend gifted it. Went home and let my whole family eat it. We grilled half and steamed the other half. Sorry I don’t have photos.”
Dah cuba rasa dia Ikan ni tahun lepas. Member yang bagi. Harga dia RM900+ lebih sebab dia kecil jee. Member yang bagi.Balik bagi 1 family makan. Separuh panggang, separuh buat stim.(maaf gambar takde)
— Farhan Halim (@thefarhanhalim) January 31, 2021
Meanwhile, others are taken aback by the price
Twitter user @humansicks noted, “The price could get you an iPhone 12 Pro Max.”
Harga dia boleh angkat iphone 12 pro max pic.twitter.com/8ucQq7awzD
— #RakyatJagaRakyat (@Humansicks) January 31, 2021
Another person said, “Looks like a cheap fish but never judge a fish by its skin or shape.”
Looks like a cheap fish but never judge a fish by it’s skin or shape. https://t.co/qetbwwnuNB
— KeBal (@keb__al) January 31, 2021
One user joked, “Can I pay in instalments? 18 months please.”
Boleh installment? 18 bulan pls. https://t.co/9P5OQq5sBH
— Syazwan (@syazwan_12) February 1, 2021