Grilled Ikan Cincaru With Grated Turmeric And Delicious Onion Sambal

Checking through the freezer , I  found that I still have a few packages of fish and meat that needs to be eaten fast within the week.  I realised that I bought them a month ago and they have been sitting in the cold freezer haha waiting to be cooked. I have been busy with lots of stuff that, I have forgotten about the fishes and meat I bought a few weeks ago ! No worries, if the seafood is fresh when you bought them, they can remain fresh for a month...that is what I discovered :) 

Took the fishes out from the freezer and after thawing them, found them to be Ikan Cincaru or known as hardtail scad The best way to eat this fish is to either stuff them with chilli paste and deep fried or to grilled them and eat them with hot and sour dip sauce.  

I decided to grill them wrapped in banana leaves , firstly it is healthier and secondly , it taste good to eat with my own concoct onion sambal.  The hardtail scad has a hard layer of scale like thing which helps to keep the flesh moist and juicy while cooking, either deep fried or grilled.  For me , I love the baby ones...reason being the texture is smoother .

I grated some fresh tumeric and rub over the fish,

sprinkled some salt  and wrapped them with banana leaf

grilled at 180 C  for 25-30mins - the banana leaves are kept in freezer

thus for the color...:)

smell good anyway...:)

serve the grilled fishes with own concocted onions sambal -

slices onions thinly and add to homemade sambal belacan

a squeeze of calamansi juice...that's it !

delicious grilled fish and the heavenly onion sambal !

Grilled Ikan Cincaru With Grated Turmeric And Delicious Onion Sambal

Grill fish -

2 Ikan Cincaru - clean, wash and pat dry

2 tsp of grated turmeric - 1 tsp for each fish - rub on the fish

2 tsp of salt - 1 tsp to each fish

1 piece of banana leaf - wash and pat dry with paper towel

Method :  

Season the fish with salt and grated turmeric.  Wrap the fishes with banana leave.  

Grill in oven @180C  for 25-30 mins or till the fishes are cooked through.

Onion Sambal 

4-5 shallots - slice thinly

2 tbsp of  homemade sambal belacan

2 calamansi juice

Combine the above together in a small bowl till well combined. Ready to serve as a dip for the grilled fish.

to make sambal belacan

5-6 fresh red chillies - deseed and cut into big slices

1/2 inch belacan ( shrimp paste )  - toast in wok till fragrant

Pound the cut slices of red chillies in a mortar and pestle , add in the toasted belacan and continue to pound till the chillies and shrimp paste are well combined.