GRILLED SEABASS PORTUGUESE STYLE / IKAN BAKAR ALA PORTUGIS

I haven't tasted the authentic Grilled Fish Portuguese Style, thought I have a few trips to Malacca but haven't got the opportunity to try one, most of time that I had this grilled fish was outside Malacca. Anyhow this grilled fish is really hot and spicy, aromatic and flavourful. Some love to have it with sambal but I prefer it the way it is, it's already full of sambal. The best is to grill the fish on hot charcoal, anyhow it's tedious to do so, I used a flat pan, it's still great. Perfect with Hot Rice.

GRILLED SEABASS PORTUGUESE STYLE / IKAN BAKAR ALA PORTUGIS

1 Seabass  cleaned and removed / 1 ekor ikan siakap dibesiang dan bersihkan

A few sheets banana leaf (rinsed with water thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels) / daun pisang

Grilled Fish Sambal:

20 dried chilies soaked / 20 tangkai cili kering direndam

3 lemongrass / 3 batang serai

1”  galangal / 1” lengkuas

7 candlenut / 7 biji buah keras

1 tablespoon toasted belacan / 1 sdb belacan

9 shallots / 9 biji bawang merah

Salt to taste / garam secukup rasa

2 teaspoons fish sauce / 2 sdb sos ikan

Sugar to taste / gula secukup rasa

1 tbsp lime juice / 1 sdb jus limau

5 tablespoons oil / 5 sdb minyak masak

Method:

1. Prepare the sambal by grinding chilies, shallots, belacan and lemongrass in a food processor. Make sure the sambal paste is well blended and smooth. / Blend semua bahan sehingga halus.
2. Heat up a wok and “tumis” (stir-fry) the sambal paste until aromatic or when the oil separates from the sambal paste. Add the seasonings: salt, sugar, and fish sauce and do a quick stir, dish out and set aside./ Panaskan minyak dan tumis bahan blend sehingga garing dan naik minyak. Masukkan semua bahan perasa
3. Grease a flat pan or heat up charcoal / Panaskan kuali leper atau hidupkan api arang
4. Lay a few sheets of banana leaves in the pan.  Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil on top of the banana leaves and spread the oil evenly. Lay the fish on top of the banana leaves and add 3 tablespoons of sambal on top of the fish./ Lebarkan daun pisang dan sapukan sedikit minyak, letak ikan dan curahkan sambal diatasnya, salur keseluruh ikan dan tutup dan kepil daun pisang dengan lidi'
5. Heat up the pan on your stove top over medium heat and cover it with a lid.  (Use a towel to cover the corners of the pan in case the lid is too small to completely cover the pan. This will ensure the heat traps inside the pan during the grilling process./ Bakar ikan dan jika ada penutup tutup ikan bakar 
6. Wait for 10-15 minutes or so and flip the fish over to the other side. Add 3 more tablespoons of sambal on the other side. Cook for another 8 minutes or so. Dish out and serve immediately with sambal belacan and sliced shallots condiment./ Bakar selama 10-15 minit dan balikan ikan, tunggu sehingga masak dan hidang 

Selalu juga ke Melaka tetapi masih tidak berkesempatan untuk mencuba ikan bakar Portugis ini. Biasanya makan ikan bakar ini di luar kota Melaka. Apa pun rasanya tetap sama. Ikan ini lebih mantap kalau dibakar dengan dapur arang, tetapi zaman sekarang ini manalah berkesempatan hendak membakar cara itu. Saya cuma guna kuali leper...ikut cara yang dibuat di food court. Boleh la. Ada yang suka makan ikan bakar ini dengan sambal tetapi saya lebih suka memakanya begitu aje...sebab ikan ini sudah macam pais ikan sudah bersambal. Memang sedap..boleh digunakan apa-apa ikan untuk resipi ini.


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