Malaysian woman cooks dead pet fish into koi soup, shocks social media users online

They are the beautifully coloured fish that signify love and friendship in Japan. But one woman has used her pets to make a pretty gross looking meal.

Amanda Omeychua turned her dead koi fish, which are an attraction in Japan, into a soup. Picture: Facebook.

They are the expensive coloured fish that fill ponds and waterways around Japan.

But a Malaysian woman has divided the internet, after turning her pet koi fish into a soup for lunch.

According to local media, Amanda Omeychua first posted the photos on a Facebook group with more than 2 million members called “Masak Apa Tak Jadi Hari Ni”. The group roughly translates as “Cooking Fails Of The Day”.

In the post, Ms Omeychua posted a montage of six pictures showing two dozen dead orange and white fish laid out on a floor, explaining they had died from a lack of oxygen after a tap was left on to refill their pond.

The fish were measured before being sectioned and turned into soup.

Rather than let the fish – which are a highlight for tourists to see when visiting Japan – go to waste, she decided to turn her pets into a “traditional recipe for a king” which she said “tasted like catfish”.

Despite her somewhat good intentions, Ms Omeychua’s recipe sent shockwaves through social media.

“I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to eat my own pet,” said one, adding: “I would just bury them”.

Some social media users said they did not know that koi were edible.

Others were simply shocked that the fish could even be consumed by humans. Ms Omeychua apologised for any upset her post may have caused, but insisted that the fish were far too expensive to be thrown in the bin.

Having been bred in Japan for hundreds of years, the fish have stunning colours and patterns and are regarded as symbols of good fortune, love and friendship.

According to the South China Morning Post, the most expensive koi went for some 203 million yen (around $A2.3 million) at a Japanese auction in 2018.