JOHOR BAHRU - For two consecutive nights, Ms Loh Mui Peng’s family enjoyed steamed sea prawns drizzled with soy sauce and Chinese cooking wine. “I steamed them with the skin on and with a simple seasoning of sesame oil, soy sauce, white pepper, ginger and Chinese cooking wine as I wanted to keep the sweetness of the prawns. “The dish was a hit with my family,” said Ms Loh, 60.
The sumptuous dinner came courtesy of a drop in the price of fresh sea prawns due to an oversupply. Ms Loh said she used to buy prawns infrequently as they tend to be pricey. “Large sea prawns that are almost the size of my hand were considered a luxury for us due to the price.
“During Chinese New Year, they can cost more than RM100 per kg,” said the mother-of-one. “So, when I heard the fishmonger saying that sea prawns are cheap at the moment, I decided to buy RM70 (S$20) worth at the wet market last week, which amounted to about 2kg.” She plans to buy another 2kg of sea prawns this weekend to share with her daughter who does not have time to go to the wet market due to work commitments.
Wild prawn catches of up to five times the usual amount have led to an oversupply of the crustaceans nationwide. This has also caused the price of sea prawns (udang laut), typically sold at RM48 per kg for medium-sized ones, to drop by RM10, or about 20 per cent. Malaysia Fish Suppliers’ Association deputy president Tai Wai Sun said the abundance of sea prawns was due to high tide and strong current.