Name: Roasted Whole Fish Rubbed with Spice Paste (Ikan Bakar)
Yield: Makes 4 servings as part of a multicourse meal
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided; ¼ teaspoon ground white or black pepper; 2 cloves garlic, smashed; 4 Asian shallots or 2 European shallots, chopped; 2 teaspoons ground turmeric; Cooking spray for greasing; 1 teaspoon coriander seeds or ground coriander; 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt, divided; Juice of 1 key lime; 1 (1–1½ lb/450–680 g) whole fish, such as red snapper, branzino, or porgy, scaled, cleaned, and gutted; 2 tablespoons kecap manis; ½ oz (15 g) fresh ginger, chopped

Preparation info

Makes
4
servings as part of a multicourse meal

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Mortar and Pestle

By Patricia Tanumihardja

Published 2024

About

When in Indonesia, we would always have ikan bakar, whole fish grilled over a charcoal fire. However, I’m always looking for easier and faster ways to serve my family fish, so I roast it in the oven. The first time I served whole fish to my husband and son, they spent the entire meal complaining about having to pick out bones. If that’s the case in your family, too, I feel your pain and give you full permission to resort to fish fillets. But please know that having whole fish is such a trea