Meat, Grills & Lauk · Indonesia

How Many Calories in Pecel Lele?

Also known as Pecel Lele Lamongan, Lele Goreng, Fried Catfish with Sambal, Penyetan Lele.

Pecel lele is whole catfish deep fried until crisp, smashed with sambal terasi and served with lalapan (raw cabbage, cucumber, basil) at tents with the famous Lamongan banner, usually with rice.

330kcal / 1 whole fried catfish with sambal and lalapan (no rice)
One whole fried catfish with sambal and lalapan is about 330 calories. FatSecret Indonesia lists pecel lele at 292 calories per 150g serving, with 53% of the energy from fat. Add a plate of rice and the standard Rp 15,000 to 20,000 meal is about 590 calories.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 whole fried catfish with sambal and lalapan (no rice) (200g)AmountPer 100g
Calories330 kcal165 kcal
Protein24 g12 g
Carbs10 g5 g
Fat22 g11 g

Where the calories come from

Whole fried catfish150g
290 kcal
Sambal terasi20g
30 kcal
Lalapan (raw cabbage, cucumber, basil)30g
10 kcal

The real talk

Catfish itself is a lean fish, around 100 calories per 100g raw. Deep frying a whole 200g fish until the tail goes crispy roughly doubles that, because the skin and the fins become oil sponges. FatSecret's 150g cooked portion at 292 calories works out to 194 per 100g, and that is a fair number for a Lamongan tent fish. So half the calories on the fish are oil.

The good news is the protein: about 24g per fish. The lalapan is basically free at 10 calories, and sambal terasi is around 30 for a spoon, mostly from the terasi and a little oil. If you eat fish, sambal and lalapan without rice it is a genuinely reasonable 330 calorie dinner. The tents also sell tempe and tahu, about 95 and 70 a piece, and those add up fast if you order the 'komplit'.

Rice is 260 for the normal plate, which puts the standard pecel lele meal at 590. Ask for nasi tambah (rice refill) and it is 850. Add es teh manis at 90 and you are at 940 for a tent dinner that felt light.

The lele are usually small farmed fish, 150 to 250g each. Some tents sell 'lele jumbo' at 350g, which is about 550 calories on its own once fried.

How the portions compare

290 kcal
Fish only
330 kcal
Fish with sambal and lalapan
755 kcal
With rice, tempe and tahu

Pecel Lele variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Lele bakar (grilled)220 kcalSame fish, no oil
Pecel lele standard330 kcalFried, with sambal and lalapan
Nasi pecel lele590 kcalWith 200g rice
Pecel lele jumbo with rice810 kcal350g fish

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in pecel lele?
About 330 calories for one fried catfish with sambal and lalapan, and about 590 with a plate of rice.
Is pecel lele healthy?
The fish has 24g protein, but deep frying roughly doubles its calories. Grilled lele (lele bakar) is about 220 calories versus 290 fried.
How many calories in fried catfish?
Around 194 calories per 100g cooked according to FatSecret Indonesia, so 290 for a normal 150g tent-sized fish.
How many calories in pecel lele with rice and es teh?
About 680 calories: 330 for the fish plate, 260 for rice and 90 for the sweet iced tea.
Berapa kalori Pecel Lele?
Pecel Lele mengandung sekitar 330 kalori per satu porsi biasa (200g), dengan 24g protein, 10g karbohidrat dan 22g lemak. Angka ini perkiraan untuk porsi warung biasa, jadi bisa berbeda tergantung tempat dan ukuran porsi.

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical warung or restaurant serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

Calorie figure based on FatSecret Indonesia (pecel lele 292 kcal per 150g serving), sambal and lalapan estimated. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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