Textual Chef Textual Chef

Ikan Bakar

Indonesian grilled whole fish marinated with lime and coated in a fragrant, sweet chili spice glaze. Cooked over an open flame until tender, smoky, and charred.

40 minMediumServes 4340 cal/serving

IndonesianDinnerGrillPescatarianHigh ProteinLow CarbDairy-FreeNut-FreeEgg-FreeShellfish-FreeSesame-FreePork-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs red snapper, scored
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 6 shallots, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 4 red chilies, seeded
  • 1 inch fresh turmeric root, chopped
  • 1 inch fresh ginger root, chopped
  • 1/4 cup sweet soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. 1

    Rub 2 lbs scored red snapper with 2 tbsp fresh lime juice and 1 tsp salt, then let marinate for 15 minutes.

  2. 2

    Blend 6 chopped shallots, 4 peeled garlic cloves, 4 seeded red chilies, 1 inch chopped fresh turmeric root, and 1 inch chopped fresh ginger root into a fine paste.

  3. 3

    Stir the spice paste together with 1/4 cup sweet soy sauce and 2 tbsp vegetable oil to make the glaze.

  4. 4

    Brush both sides of fish generously with the glaze.

  5. 5

    Grill over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes per side, basting frequently, until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Questions

What internal temperature should Ikan Bakar reach?

For Ikan Bakar, the target internal temperature is 145 F (about 65 C), given in step 5. A probe thermometer removes the guesswork.

How long should Ikan Bakar marinate?

Step 1 reads: "Rub 2 lbs scored red snapper with 2 tbsp fresh lime juice and 1 tsp salt, then let marinate for 15 minutes." Follow the time in step 1. Shorter still seasons the surface. Much longer is not better with acidic marinades, which turn the outside of meat or fish mushy.

Is there a substitute for kecap manis in Ikan Bakar?

The entry for Ikan Bakar calls for 1/4 cup sweet soy sauce. In its place: Simmer equal parts soy sauce and brown sugar or molasses for a minute, until syrupy.

Can I use a different white fish instead of the fish in Ikan Bakar?

Yes. Any firm white fish of similar thickness works: cod, haddock, pollock and halibut are interchangeable here. Timing follows thickness, not species. As written, the entry for Ikan Bakar uses 2 lbs red snapper, scored.

Can I make Ikan Bakar less spicy?

Yes. The heat in Ikan Bakar comes from 4 red chilies, seeded. For a milder plate, remove the seeds and ribs from the chilies, or use half; nothing else in the method changes.

Is Ikan Bakar low-carb?

A serving of Ikan Bakar carries 16 g of carbohydrate, 2 g of it fiber. Against a strict 20 g keto day that is 80 percent of the budget; against a moderate 100 g low-carb day it is 16 percent.

How much protein is in Ikan Bakar?

One serving (the recipe makes 4) has 38 g of protein in about 340 calories, alongside 16 g carbohydrate and 14 g fat, plus 2 g fiber and 620 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list. More like it: the high-protein dinner collection.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,530 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.

More Indonesian entries

All Indonesian recipes · All Dinner recipes