Here's All The Fresh Seafood We Ate On Mabul Island & How Much It Cost
One sea urchin for RM4???
By May Vin Ang — 13 May 2024, 05:01 PM
We recently had the opportunity to visit Pulau Mabul off the coast of Semporna, Sabah
Mabul Island is no stranger to diving enthusiasts for its crystal clear, untouched waters.
It boasts of a stunning coral reef and diverse marine life surrounding the island, and is famous especially among international tourists as a dream diving spot.
Unbeknownst to many tourists, however, is that the rich coral reef is also a crucial source of income for the local communities on the island, especially the indigenous Bajau Laut
The Bajau community, also known as sea gypsies, live in boats and stilt water villages around the island and have fishing as their main source of income.
During our stay at Mabul Paradise Lodge, a homey dive centre compared to other luxury options on the island, we had the opportunity to experience buying fresh catch at affordable prices from the fishermen themselves at the front dock of the lodge facing the sea.
The fishermen would come by their boats in the evenings and bring their daily haul such as crabs, lobsters, mantis shrimps, clams, and a variety of fish.
1. Flower crabs - RM7 per piece
While flower crabs are not as fleshy as mud crabs, when deep fried and tossed in salted egg buttermilk sauce, you can still find substantial meat by easily cracking through the shell.
The fisherman kindly allowed us to choose all female crabs, which had plenty of tasty roe.
2. Sea conches and clams - RM10 per basin
While we were initially hesitant to try this shellfish, the guesthouse's kitchen convinced us otherwise with their addictive siput goreng cili.
3. Sea urchin - RM50 for 12
The local sea urchins may not be as meaty as the ones you'd see in Japan, but they were fresh and super cheap! It was about RM4 per piece.
4. Abalone - RM25 for six
The local abalone is also smaller than what we'd typically see in restaurants. But that did not mean it wasn't tasty when cooked in hot pot!
5. Flounder - RM20 for two (and one small fish for free!)
This flatfish is known for its soft flesh and it was yummy when served goreng tiga rasa.
6. Mantis shrimp - RM20 per piece
Admittedly, the other tour group sitting beside us bought all this, but they told us how much they spent, and we got to try some!
They had also bought lobsters for about RM50 per piece.
7. Fish - RM5 per kg
The staff at the guesthouse also often fish, so we got these fishes at a steal!
