Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Recipe: Crispy, Juicy Mexican Pork

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Slow cooker pork carnitas is the easiest path to the best tacos of your life: a pork shoulder rubbed with cumin and oregano, slow-cooked in orange and lime juice until it falls apart, then crisped in a hot pan until the edges turn golden and crackly. Juicy inside, crispy outside — that contrast is the whole point. The slow cooker does the hard work. Eight hours on low turns a tough shoulder meltingly tender, and the citrus in the cooking liquid keeps the pork bright instead of heavy. The real magic happens at the end: shred the pork, spread it in a screaming-hot skillet with a splash of its own cooking liquid, and let it sit undisturbed until the edges char. Do not skip that step — crisping is what makes carnitas carnitas. Crispy edges, juicy center — carnitas night done right. Recipe Info Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 8 hours (slow cooker, low) Total time: 8 hours 30 minutes Servings: 8 Calories: ~520 kcal per serving Pork, citrus and spice — carnitas starts h...
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Ikan Bakar Jimbaran Recipe: Balinese Grilled Fish with Sambal Matah

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On the beach at Jimbaran in Bali, the evening ritual is always the same: whole fish grilled over coconut husks, brushed again and again with a sweet-spicy glaze until the skin turns dark and glossy, then served with raw sambal matah and steamed rice. Ikan bakar Jimbaran is not fussy restaurant food — it is beach food, smoky and bold, and it translates beautifully to a home grill or a hot grill pan.

The secret is in two parts. First, a marinade of shallots, chilies, turmeric and sweet soy sauce that caramelises on the skin. Second, sambal matah — a raw Balinese salsa of sliced shallots, chilies, lemongrass and lime — spooned over the fish at the last moment so its sharp freshness cuts through the smoky richness. Get those two right and the rest takes care of itself.

A whole Balinese ikan bakar Jimbaran grilled fish on a banana leaf with steamed rice, plecing kangkung water spinach, lime wedges and sambal matah.

Charred, glossy and unmistakably Balinese — ikan bakar Jimbaran with all the trimmings.

Recipe Info

  • Prep time: 25 minutes, plus 30 minutes marinating
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Servings: 4 servings
  • Calories: approx. 420 kcal per serving
Ikan bakar Jimbaran ingredients on a wooden table — whole snapper, red chilies, shallots, garlic, turmeric, lemongrass, ginger, limes, sweet soy sauce and oil.

The marinade does the magic — everything else is fresh, simple and easy to find.

Ingredients

  • 2 whole red snapper (about 700–800 g / 1.5 lb each), cleaned, gutted and scaled
  • 8 shallots, peeled
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 4 large red chilies, deseeded
  • 2 cm (1 inch) fresh turmeric, peeled, or 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 cm (1 inch) fresh ginger, peeled
  • 2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, roughly chopped
  • 3 tbsp (45 ml) kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) cooking oil, plus extra for the grill
  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) tamarind paste
  • 1 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • For the sambal matah: 8 shallots, thinly sliced; 5 bird's eye chilies, thinly sliced; 2 lemongrass stalks (white part only), thinly sliced; 3 tbsp (45 ml) coconut oil or neutral oil, warmed; juice of 2 limes; ½ tsp sea salt; 2 kaffir lime leaves, very finely shredded (optional)
  • To serve: steamed jasmine rice, blanched water spinach (kangkung) and lime wedges
Close-up of a forkful of flaky ikan bakar grilled fish with sambal matah, shallots, chilies and lemongrass.

Flaky flesh, charred edges and a spoonful of raw sambal matah — the perfect bite.

Instructions

  1. Score the fish. Pat the snapper dry. Using a sharp knife, cut 3–4 deep diagonal slashes on each side, down to the bone. This lets the marinade penetrate and helps the fish cook evenly.
  2. Blend the marinade. Blend the shallots, garlic, chilies, turmeric, ginger and lemongrass to a coarse paste. Stir in the kecap manis, oil, tamarind paste, palm sugar, salt and lime juice.
  3. Marinate the fish. Rub the marinade all over the fish and into the slashes. Cover and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes (or refrigerate up to 4 hours, then bring back to room temperature before grilling).
  4. Heat the grill. Heat a charcoal grill, gas grill or grill pan until very hot. Oil the grates well — the sweet glaze sticks easily — and keep a brush and the leftover marinade nearby.
  5. Grill the fish. Grill the fish for 8–10 minutes per side, basting with the leftover marinade every few minutes, until the skin is dark and charred at the edges and the flesh flakes easily at the thickest part. Do not move the fish until the first side releases naturally.
  6. Make the sambal matah. While the fish grills, combine the sliced shallots, chilies, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves in a bowl. Pour over the warm (not boiling) coconut oil, add the lime juice and salt, and toss. Sambal matah is served raw and fresh — never cooked.
  7. Serve immediately. Transfer the fish to a banana leaf or platter, spoon the sambal matah generously over the top, and serve with steamed rice, blanched water spinach and lime wedges.

Tips & Variations

  • Pick the right fish: Red snapper is classic, but sea bass, grouper or even whole mackerel work well. The fish should smell of the sea, have clear eyes and firm flesh that springs back when pressed.
  • Stop the sticking: A screaming-hot, well-oiled grate is everything. If using a grill pan, oil the fish itself as well as the pan, and resist moving it until the skin has crisped and released.
  • No grill? Use the oven: Roast at 220°C (425°F) for 20–25 minutes, basting twice, then finish under a hot broiler for 3–4 minutes to char the skin.
  • Dial the heat: For a milder sambal matah, use half the bird's eye chilies and add a diced tomato. For extra fire, keep the chili seeds in.
  • Make it a feast: Add plecing kangkung (blanched water spinach dressed with chili, tomato and lime) and a bowl of peanut sauce for a full Jimbaran-style spread.
  • Do not over-marinate: The lime juice in the marinade will start to "cook" the flesh if left too long. Thirty minutes at room temperature (or up to 4 hours chilled) is the sweet spot.
  • Leftover fish: Flake leftover fish into fried rice the next day, or shred it into a salad with the remaining sambal matah and a squeeze of lime.

Nutrition Note

At roughly 420 kcal per serving (with rice), ikan bakar is a genuinely balanced plate: the snapper supplies lean protein, omega-3 fatty acids and selenium, while the raw sambal matah adds vitamin C, fibre and flavour without fat. The sweet soy glaze is the main source of sugar, so go easy on the basting if you are watching it — the fish is superb even with a lighter coat.

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FAQ

What is ikan bakar Jimbaran?
It is Bali's famous beach grilled fish, named after the fishing village of Jimbaran: whole fish marinated in a sweet-spicy paste, grilled over charcoal and served with raw sambal matah, rice and water spinach.

Can I use fish fillets instead of whole fish?
Yes — thick skin-on fillets work well. Reduce the grilling time to 4–5 minutes per side and baste generously, since fillets dry out faster than whole fish.

What is kecap manis, and can I substitute it?
Kecap manis is thick, sweet Indonesian soy sauce. In a pinch, simmer 3 tablespoons of regular soy sauce with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and a teaspoon of molasses until syrupy.

Is sambal matah very spicy?
It has a fresh, sharp heat from raw bird's eye chilies, but it is brighter rather than burningly hot. Reduce the chilies or add tomato to tame it.

How do I know when the fish is done?
The flesh at the thickest part should flake easily with a fork and look opaque all the way to the bone. If in doubt, a thermometer should read 63°C (145°F) at the thickest point.

Smoky, sweet, sharp and straight off the grill — that is Jimbaran on a plate. Did you go full sambal matah heat or keep it mild? Leave a comment below and tell us how your ikan bakar turned out!

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