Grilled Sanma Fish in Banana Leaf with Spicy Miso and Chilli Sauce Recipe

Recipe Grilled Sanma Pacific Saury Fish in Banana Leaves with Spicy Miso and Chilli Sauce

Sanma fish (Japanese), pike mackerel or pacific saury in english got several names worlwide including kongchi in (Korean), qiu dao (Chinese), saira (сайра) in Russian. Samna fish in Japanese means autumn sword fish contains good quality and high amount of essential protein. The flesh is rich in unsaturated fatty acids such as EPA and DHA, a “good fats” that clinically proven to prevent  heart an coronary disease. Nutritional fact in 100 gr Sanma (dry heat cooked, grilled/baked) contains 1400 mg DHA, while in the same amount of grilled farmed atlantic salmon contains about 1500 mg DHA. Sanma is the best option for baby food for brain and nerve tissues development. Sanma fish  it’s much more cheaper than regular salmon while the DHA is slighly lower than the salmon.

Recipe Grilled Sanma Fish Wrapped in Banana Leaf with Spicy Miso and Chilli Sambal

Sanma Fish or Pacific Saury  is one of the seasonal foods representing autumn in Japanese cuisine, but fortunately it’s available in frozen station all years in vaccum pack in several japanese supermarket in Indonesia, including in Palembang. It commonly served salted and grilled (broiled) whole, garnished with daikon oroshi (grated daikon) and served alongside a bowl of rice and a bowl of miso soup. Other condiments may include soy sauce, or lime, lemon, or other citrus juices. The intestines are bitter, but many people choose not to gut the fish, as many say its bitterness, balanced by the condiments, is part of the enjoyment.

Grilled Broiled Pacific Saury Sanma Pike Mackerel Fish in Banana Leaf with Spicy Miso and Chilli Sauce Recipe

Grilling  fish in banana leaf was ancient Indonesian cooking technique. I guess this is the best way to prepare the fatty fish like sanma. The epidermis cuticle in the upper side of the banana leaf works like a teflon, it prevent the grilled sanma sticking with the leaf. Banana leaf grilled fish is slightly diffrent from pepes (banana leaf wrapped  fish), since the moisture is allowed to evaporate while the pepes didn’t. This technique allowed the grilled sanma skin charred and browned while the inner flesh is still moist. Another good point of grilling fish in banana leaf is it’s nice fragrance  infused to the fish.

Spicy Miso and Chilli Sauce Recipe (Sambal Tauco) with Banana Leaf Wrapped Grilled Sanma Fish

Spicy miso and chilli sauce or sambal taucho jepang is the kick’in dressing for the grilled sanma. I’m using red miso paste with this recipe. This is my first red miso trial, i’m used with white miso This miso paste chilli sauce is diffrent from my previous sambal taucho for Yong Tau Foo Recipe (Fish Paste Stuffed Tofu,Tahu Isi Ikan) because it’s not contain any peanut but it’s replaced with cherry tomato. The color of this taucho sambal  is vividly red because i’m using deseeded cayenne chilli pepper for this recipe.

Marinade Sanma Pacific Saury Pike Mackerel with Seasoning Before Grilled

I’m using a mixture powdered spices for marinade the samna fish instead of simple japanese preparation  with sake called sanma shioyaki in Japanese or kongchi gui in Korean. I guess it’s my natural Indonesian licking call. The basic spices for grilling fish seasoning in commonly indonesian kitchen is  garlic, ginger, turmeric, corriander seed, and lime juice.

Grilled Pacific Saury Sanma Pike Mackerel Fish in Banana Leaf (Resep Ikan Bakar dalam Daun Pisang)

Ikan sanma bakar dalam daun pisang or  grilled sanma, pacific saury or pike mackerel in banana leaf wrap is a a fusion of Indonesia and also Japanese cuisine. Indonesian(Malay) technique of banana wrap fish with japanese delicacy ingredients bring the dinner to the next level. You can use any kind of fish for making banana leaf grilled fish, but i recomend the skin on or better the whole fish. For the miso paste replacement, you can use any kind salted and fermented soy bean like tauco, tausi, etc.

Grilled Sanma Pacific Saury Pike Mackerel in Banana Leaf Recipe :

• 1 large Sanma or Pacific Saury Fish, gutted, cleaned, patted dry, cut into two pieces
• 1 banana leaf, cleaned
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 3 cm ginger, grated, squeezed out the juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• a pinch of turmeric powder, garlic powder, and corriander powder

How to Make Grilled Sanma Fish in Banana Leaf:

• Season the fish with lime juice, ginger juice, salt, turmeric powder, garlic powder, and corriander powder, let it marinated for about 30 minutes in the fridge, set aside
• Pat dry the sanma fish, put it in a banana leaf and roll the banana leaf to fold and cover the fish, DO NOT TIDE or SECURE the banane leaf end or you’ve got your sanma steamed rather than grilled (pepes)
• Preheat your broil pan, put the banana leaf wrap fish in the broiling pan

Banana leaf wrapped fish on grill pan

• Let the banana leaf  wrap fish grilled for about 5 minutes each side until the fish skin is blistered or brown charred

Grilled fish wrapped on banana leaf

• Serve the grilled sanma in banana leaf  with the spicy miso and chili sambal

Spicy Miso and Chili Sauce or Sambal Tauco Recipe :

Ingredients :

• 2 tbsp red miso paste (tauco jepang) or fermented bean paste
• 3 cloves garlic (bawang putih), roughly chopped
• 3 shallot (bawang merah), roughly chopped
• 10 cayenne red chilli pepper (cabe merah), deseeded
• 10 bird eye chillies(cabe rawit)
• 10 cherry tomato (tomat) or 2 large tomato
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp oil

How to Make Spicy Miso and Chili Sauce or Sambal Tauco (Fermented Soy Bean Sauce):

• Heat up the oil in a saucepan and browned the garlic, shallot and bird eye chillies, let it slighly cool
• Process all solid ingredient in a blender until medium smooth
• Saute the mixture with  the remaining oil until fragrant
• Add the water, bring to boil, season with salt and sugar
• Simmer to reduce the spicy miso paste and chilli sauce until thicken

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