Tasty BBQ stingray

I’ve been living in Singapore for three years now, so I’m slowly but surely beginning to explore the local food scene. I haven’t reached the point of eating frogs yet, but they are in my near-future plans. I have almost stopped being afraid of spicy food and have even begun to enjoy it: the red pepper in tom yum no longer scares me, and I’ve tried several dishes from Sichuan cuisine. Soups and noodles with thick or slippery textures have also become perfectly acceptable to me.

In terms of seafood, I unexpectedly discovered BBQ stingray. Yes, these are the same alien-looking flat fish that glide so beautifully through the sea and carry a dangerous spine on their tail. On the plate, the flesh is white like ordinary fish, but firmer and more springy — somewhere between fish and meat.

In Singapore, stingray is usually laid on a banana leaf, covered with sambal and grilled. The leaf keeps the sauce and juices around the fish; the sambal makes sure nobody forgets it is there. The best version I’ve tried was at Satay by the Bay in Gardens by the Bay.

Sambal and I did not become friends immediately. At first, I thought it was just a loud red sauce that made every dish taste mainly of sambal. It took me about three years to understand it. Now the sauce is half the reason I order the stingray. If you try the dish for the first time, it may be the sambal, rather than the fish, that puts you off. Don’t make a final decision after one bite.

Stingray itself went through a similar change of reputation: once considered an unpopular “trash fish”, it eventually became a local hawker favourite. So the stingray managed to improve its public image before I improved my relationship with sambal.

Still, this is one Singapore dish you should try at least once. The only awkward part is that live stingrays are far too elegant to look like dinner. My appetite says, “Order it.” My conscience shows me one flying through the sea. They have not reached an agreement. Sambal remains a very persuasive mediator.