Ikan Bakar Recipe

Name: Ikan Bakar
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 2 whole sea bream (about 400 g each), cleaned and scaled; 2 tsp ground turmeric; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 tbsp lime juice; 1 tsp salt; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 3 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis); 1 tbsp lime juice, extra; 1 lime, cut into wedges; 2 tbsp sambal, to serve

Ikan Bakar

Whole fish rubbed with turmeric, garlic and lime, marinated for 30 minutes and grilled for 15 minutes with a sweet soy glaze.

30 min prep and cooking plus 30 min Marinating 1 hr start to finish Serves 2 servings Easy

Why Ikan Bakar Works

Fish for two, over fire, on a warm evening: that is the occasion for ikan bakar, the grilled fish of Indonesia and Malaysia. Whole fish are scored, rubbed with a yellow marinade and cooked over embers or on a grill, then served with sambal and rice. Keep the fish whole.

The skin does most of the work, protecting the flesh from the heat while it takes on char and flavour. Choose small whole fish, such as sea bream or snapper, and score each side two or three times so the marinade reaches the meat. Oil the grill well and do not move the fish until the skin has seared and releases cleanly. Fish that is turned too soon tears.

Marinate in the fridge, not on the counter, for 30 minutes. Brush with a glaze of sweet soy sauce and lime juice as it cooks, turning once. The fish is done when the flesh at the thickest part turns opaque and flakes at the touch of a fork. Serve with lime, rice and a fiery sambal.

How to Make Ikan Bakar

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Score each fish 3 times on each side. Mix the turmeric, garlic, 2 tablespoons lime juice, salt and oil and rub over the fish.
Cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Heat the grill to medium-high and oil the grate. Mix the sweet soy sauce with the extra lime juice.
Grill the fish for 7 minutes on each side, brushing with the glaze, until the flesh flakes.
Serve with lime wedges and sambal.

Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Notes for Getting It Right

Oil the grill and leave the fish alone until the skin releases.
Score the skin so the heat and marinade reach the flesh.
Marinate in the fridge only.

Swaps and Variations

Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

What Goes With Ikan Bakar

Steamed rice
Sambal
Lime wedges
Cucumber salad

Keeping and Reheating

Best eaten at once. Leftover fish keeps for 1 day in the fridge.

Questions About Ikan Bakar

How long does Ikan Bakar take to make?

15 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking, plus 30 minutes of Marinating, so allow 1 hour from start to finish. The recipe serves 2.

What's in a Serving

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (most of the energy comes from foods with no recorded source). Why some recipes have none.

Dairy-Free

Ikan Bakar

How to Make Ikan Bakar

Notes for Getting It Right

Swaps and Variations

What Goes With Ikan Bakar

Keeping and Reheating

Questions About Ikan Bakar

What's in a Serving

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

How to Make Ikan Bakar

Notes for Getting It Right

Swaps and Variations

What Goes With Ikan Bakar

Keeping and Reheating

Questions About Ikan Bakar

What's in a Serving

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

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