Balinese Fish Head Soup
prepared with bumbu gede
Fish heads are a delicacy in Indonesia. In Bali the fish head is cooked in a savoury yet refreshing soup.
Today’s recipe is using the traditional Balinese bumbu gede, which consists of: green tomatoes, lemongrass and freshly squeezed lime, this gives the soup a refreshing aroma that replaces the fishy smell of the fish head.
If using a fish head makes you a little squeamish, you can replace it with prawns or fish fillets.
But nothing compares to the flavors of flesh that can only be found on the head of the fish.
Give it a go!
You can read my article about Fish Head Soup by clicking here
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minutes
Summary
- 1 fish head
- 1 cup bumbu gede (see sub recipe)
- 2 tablespoons tamarind juice to marinade the fish head
- 1 liter fish stock
- 4 pieces red bird’s eye chillies, bruised
- 1 medium green tomato, sliced
- 1 medium red tomato, sliced
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
- 2 pieces salam leaves
- 2 pieces lime leaves
- Salt to taste
- White pepper powder to taste
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tablespoon tamarind juice
Finishing Ingredients
- 1 wedge green tomato, sliced
- 1 wedge red tomato, sliced
- ½ long red chilli, sliced
- 3 sprigs fresh Thai basil

Bumbu Gede
- 3 knobs galangal, peeled
- 1 knob turmeric, peeled
- 4 small knobs kencur, peeled
- 1 knob ginger, peeled
- 10 pieces lemongrass
- 2 pieces red chilli
- 4 pieces shallot
- ½ cup garlic
- 3 pieces candlenut
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried shrimp paste
- 4 pieces long pepper
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 10 tablespoons wewangen
- 2 pieces salam leaves
Roast the dry spices together and grind to a fine powder.
Roughly chop the rest of the fresh ingredients, dried
shrimp paste and candlenut, except salam leaves.
Blend or pound in a mortar and pestle, until you have a medium fine paste.
Then fry out the paste with oil and salam leaves until fragrant.
Garnish
lime cheek
sprigs of Thai basil