Two whole grilled fish with a glossy charred glaze on a white oval plate with lettuce, cucumber, tomato and a bowl of dark dipping sauce — Photo: Gunawan Kartapranata · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Indonesian & Malaysian · Lunch · Dinner

Ikan Bakar (Grilled Spiced Fish)

Name: Ikan Bakar (Grilled Spiced Fish)
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 60 min
Cuisine: Indonesian & Malaysian
Ingredients: 2 fish (about 600 g each) Whole red snapper, cleaned and scaled; 2 medium Limes; 1/2 tsp Salt; 4 medium Shallots, peeled; 4 cloves Garlic cloves, peeled; 3 medium Fresh red chillies; 2 cm piece Fresh ginger, peeled; 3 nuts Candlenuts (or macadamia nuts); 1 stalk Lemongrass, tender white part sliced; 1 tsp Ground turmeric; 2 tbsp Water; 1 tbsp Vegetable oil; 1 tbsp Tamarind paste; 1 tsp Palm sugar or brown sugar; 2 tbsp Kecap manis (sweet soy sauce); 1 medium Cucumber, sliced, to serve

Ikan bakar

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 11, 2026 · How we make recipes

Whole snapper rubbed with a fragrant paste of shallot, chilli, lemongrass and turmeric, then grilled until smoky and basted with a sticky, tangy kecap manis glaze. Served with crisp cucumber and lime for a light, punchy meal.

Prep: 35 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 60 min
Serves: 4

Medium
Dairy Free
High protein

15%

Per serving295kcal15% of a 2,000 kcal day

34gProtein

25gCarbs

8gFat

3gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 33% · Fat 22% · Protein 45%

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Ingredients

For 4 servings

2 fish (about 600 g each)Whole red snapper, cleaned and scaled
2 medium130 gLimes
1/2 tspSalt
4 medium120 gShallots, peeled
4 cloves12 gGarlic cloves, peeled
3 medium45 gFresh red chillies
2 cm piece10 gFresh ginger, peeled
3 nuts9 gCandlenuts (or macadamia nuts)
1 stalk20 gLemongrass, tender white part sliced
1 tspGround turmeric
2 tbsp30 gWater
1 tbsp14 gVegetable oil
1 tbsp18 gTamarind paste
1 tspPalm sugar or brown sugar
2 tbsp40 gKecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 medium200 gCucumber, sliced, to serve

Steps

1
Rinse the fish and pat dry with paper towel.
2
Cut 3 diagonal slashes on each side of each fish, down to the bone.
3
Juice 1 lime and cut the other into wedges for serving.
4
Rub the fish inside and out with the lime juice and salt, then set aside.
5
Blend the shallots, garlic, chillies, ginger, candlenuts, lemongrass, turmeric and water to a smooth paste.
6
Heat 2 tsp of the oil in a small pan over medium heat and fry the paste, stirring, for 5 minutes until fragrant and darker.
7
Stir in the tamarind paste and sugar, cook 1 minute more, then take off the heat and cool slightly.
8
Spoon half the paste into a bowl and mix it with the kecap manis to make the basting glaze.
9
Rub the remaining paste all over the fish and into the slashes, then marinate for 15 minutes.
10
Heat a grill, barbecue or grill pan to medium-high and brush the grate with the remaining 1 tsp oil.
11
Grill the fish for 8–10 minutes per side, turning carefully once.
12
Brush with the glaze during the last few minutes on each side, letting it caramelise without burning.
13
Check the fish is cooked: the flesh at the thickest part should be opaque, flake easily and reach 63 °C / 145 °F.
14
Serve with the cucumber slices and lime wedges.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

Use whole sea bass, sea bream or tilapia instead of red snapper if it is easier to find, adjusting the grill time to the size of the fish.
Swap the candlenuts for an equal number of macadamia nuts, or leave them out for a nut-free version, though the paste will be a little less rich.
For a gluten-free version, choose a kecap manis labelled gluten-free, or mix gluten-free tamari with a little palm sugar to make your own sweet soy.
For a milder dish, deseed the chillies or use just one.

Storage

Refrigerate leftover fish within 2 hours in a covered container and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot all the way through. It is best eaten fresh off the grill, and freezing is not recommended as the flesh turns soft and the glaze loses its crispness.

Make ahead

The spice paste can be blended, fried and cooled up to 3 days ahead and kept covered in the fridge, with the kecap manis stirred into the glaze portion just before grilling. Clean and slash the fish up to a day ahead and keep it chilled, but add the lime juice and paste only about 15 minutes before cooking.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

Contains: FishSoyGlutenTree nuts

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (465 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	295 kcal	63 kcal
Protein	33.6 g	7.2 g
Carbohydrates	24.6 g	5.3 g
of which sugars	11.9 g	2.6 g
Fiber	3 g	0.6 g
Fat	7.5 g	1.6 g
of which saturated	1 g	0.2 g
Sodium	697 mg	150 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.