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Fish and seafood from Thailand

Ka-pi-plaaกะปิปลา

Ka-pi-plaa is the fish version of Thai ka-pi. Small fish are salted and drained overnight, sun-dried for two or three days, pounded and packed tight to ferment for weeks to months. The result is a salty, dark grey to brown paste used like shrimp ka-pi.

Fully documentedFish and seafood17 days – 4.1 months

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe JIRCAS method gives the fish-to-salt ratio only. The study made a laboratory batch with beardless barb following the household steps.
Small fish, washedSea fish in the JIRCAS method; beardless barb in the Thale Noi study[jircas][sripokar2022a]
Salt1 part salt to 4–10 parts fish by weightThe study cites 1 part salt to 5–7 parts fish[jircas][sripokar2022a]

Total time across the recorded steps: 17 days – 4.1 months

Start
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What changes: Salted fish rest overnight in a bamboo basket as liquid drains out

Step 1 of 4
Mix fish with salt and drain overnight in a bamboo basket
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

The study first left the gutted fish at room temperature for 24 h to soften (autolysis) before salting; pH rose from 6.98 to 7.45. Output: salted fish; the liquid that drains off is collected.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Ka-pi-plaa is the fish version of Thai ka-pi. Small fish are salted and drained overnight, sun-dried for two or three days, pounded and packed tight to ferment for weeks to months. The result is a salty, dark grey to brown paste used like shrimp ka-pi. Made in 4 steps over 17 days – 4.1 months. The longest step, ferment in a closed jar, takes 15 days – 4 months (JIRCAS 1995) and runs at 28–30 °C (Sripokar P 2022). Salt is 27.3–37.7 % (Sripokar P 2022).

Key numbers
Main step15 days – 4 monthsReported[jircas][sripokar2022a]Ferment in a closed jar
Temperature28–30 °CReported[sripokar2022a]Ferment in a closed jar
Salt27.3–37.7 %Measured[sripokar2022b]Ferment in a closed jar
AciditypH 5.9–7Measured[sripokar2022b]Ferment in a closed jar

What makes this one different

Ka-pi is made from tiny shrimp or krill; ka-pi-plaa uses small fish. It is less popular, so some producers blend it into ka-pi to make a cheaper paste.

Related ferments

Safety

The finished paste is salty (27.28–37.74 % on a dry basis) with a water activity of 0.602–0.777, which makes it an intermediate-moisture food that resists spoilage (Sripokar et al. 2022). Keep the paste covered and dry.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

A 2022 study of ten commercial pastes says it is widely eaten as a condiment in southern and northeastern Thailand and has become one of the largest income generators for Phatthalung and Nakhon Si Thammarat provinces. A second 2022 study, of a beardless barb batch from Thale Noi, Phatthalung, calls the barb one of the traditional fish for ka-pi-plaa.

Starter
The sources we found do not say how its fermentation begins.
Microbes
No study we found names its microbes.
  1. [jircas] JIRCAS, Database of Fermented Foods of Thailand, Ka-pi-plaa (references The traditional fermented foods of Thailand, 1995), read 2026-10gov
  2. [sripokar2022a] Sripokar P., Hansen E.B., Zhang Y., Maneerat S., Klomklao S. 2022, Ka-pi-plaa fermented using beardless barb fish, physicochemical, microbiological and antioxidant properties as influenced by production processes, International Journal of Food Science and Technology 57(2):1161-1172 (accepted manuscript, DTU Orbit; some words at the page edge are cut off)paper
  3. [sripokar2022b] Sripokar P., Klomklao S., Zhang Y., Hansen E.B., Maneerat S., Panyo J. 2022, Thai traditional fermented fish paste Ka-pi-plaa, chemical compositions and physical properties, Journal of Food Processing and Preservation 46(5):e16610 (accepted manuscript, DTU Orbit)paper