Indonesian Recipes (Bali, Java) - Sea Base in Black Sauce ( Kakap Goreng Kecap)Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 sea bass, about 1 kg/2 1/4 lb)

• 3 cloves garlic

• 2 red onions

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 2-3 nutmeg flowers

• palm sugar to taste, (or brown sugar)

• 1 piece ginger root, about 2 cm/3/4 in long

• 1 level teaspoons petis

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 125 ml/4 fl oz (1/2 cup) kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)

• 100 ml/3 1/2 fl oz (1/2 cup) fish stock (broth)

• 2 tablespoons palm wine

• juice of 1 lime

• salt

• rice flour to coat the fish

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Method:

1. Peel the garlic and red onions, cut into thin slices and fry briefly. Remove half the fried garlic and onion mixture.

2. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg flowers, palm sugar, peeled and finely cut ginger root and petis and continue frying. Add the savory and sweet soy sauces and simmer for a while. Add the fish stock and reduce the liquid.

3. Next add the palm wine and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Clean the sea bass thoroughly (gut and remove the scales).

4. Make several diagonal cuts on both sides, dab dry, season with salt, sprinkle with lemon juice and dust with rice flour.

5. Deep fry the fish whole, or if the pan is too small for the fish, bake in the oven for about 25 minutes at 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6.

6. Finally pour the sauce over the fish and garnish with the rest of the fried garlic and onion rings. Serve with white rice.