Nonya-Style Ikan Bakar

A salted soft white seabass that’s wok fried with sweet tamarind, strong ginger, herbal lemongrass and fragrantly sharp lime. Ikan Bakar, or burnt fish, is frequently eaten in Malaysia and Indonesia,with a big spoon of fiery rich sambaland white rice.

Halal

No Milk

No Nuts

Difficulty: Easy

Preparation: 15 min
Cook: 20 min
Clean up: min

Steps: 3 steps
14 Ingredients

Difficulty: Easy
Steps: 3 steps
14 Ingredients

Preparation: 15 min
Cook: 20 min
Clean up: min

Instructions

1. Cook paste

In a pan, add in coconut oil in a pan then add in the belacan before add in the blended items into the pan and stir fry for about 3 to 4 minutes, before adding salt, sugar. Once the paste becomes darker, drizzle some calamansi lime juice and sprinkling of kafir lime leaves.

2. Marinate fish

To prep the fish, score the flesh slightly on both sides then sprinkle a pinch of salt, white pepper, lime juice, a little bit of the vegetable oil and soy sauce/liquid aminos and a teaspoon of the sambal. Rub the marinate all over the fish and wrap the fish in some banana leaf.

| To clean the fish, use somefresh tamarind and water and soak the fish in the tamarindpaste and water for about 10 minutes and then rinse the fish and pat down dry before you start cooking

3. Fry the fish

In a large wok, add in some vegetable oil and crank the heat up to high, then slowly place the fish one side and let it cook for 3 -4 minutes before turning the fish gently over.
Next, add in about 1/2 cup of water along with all the marinate of the fish and cover the wok and reduce the heat to medium and let the fish cook for about 8 minutes. Ensure the lid is closed.
Once the liquid has all evaporated, turn the fish one more time and cook for another 3 minutes. You will get a love caramel colouring from the searing of the fish which is what makes this dish.

Garnish and Serve!

To serve, place the fish on a banana leaf, serve it with the sambal and some limes for garnish