People generally eat milkfish fried or grilled. Milkfish is also often served in various popular dishes, such as presto milkfish, boneless milkfish, and milkfish.
In Serang, Banten, there is a unique milkfish-based dish: milkfish satay. Like chicken, goat, or beef satay, this milkfish satay is skewered and served in the same way as other satay dishes: grilled over charcoal embers.
Cepi Awaludin, the owner of Sate Bandeng Kang Cepi, stated that milkfish satay is a specialty dish favored by the Banten Sultanate family. Since then, milkfish satay has been developed by the people of Serang City, Banten Province, as a specialty dish with a recipe passed down from their ancestors. The milkfish satay, under the brand name Sate Bandeng Kang Cepi, has been around since 2002 and is now widely recognized.
Kang Cepi’s Milkfish Satay is priced at IDR 42,000 per skewer. “Production before the COVID-19 pandemic was up to 50 kg/day. Currently, production averages 30-35 kg/day. This milkfish satay can be used as a delicious side dish. It can be served with vegetables or soup, or even eaten directly with warm rice,” Cepi said in Jakarta recently.
The milkfish satay is sold in several souvenir shops and is also available through e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, Go Food, Grab Food, Instagram, Google, and several other digital platforms. As a result, milkfish satay sales are not limited to Serang and its surroundings, but have expanded to Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, Makassar, South Sulawesi, and several other cities across the country. “If a customer orders, we simply send it via online package,” he said.
