Baking fish

Fish without rice is also unthinkable. Though these 'Deshi' treats are great, a good portion of fish accompanied by greens is also enough for a meal on a daily basis. And, of course, fish can always be baked without using excessive oil or spices yet still reward your taste buds with a burst of flavours and keep you light even after a full meal.  

Fish is low in fat, high in protein and an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Apart from keeping you healthier, dinner with fish as the main dish once or twice a week will bring a nice variation to your diet plan. 

You can choose to bake fish in the usual butter and pepper or you can bring a 'Deshi' twist by adding local herbs and daily spices. 

Photo: Sharmin Rahman

Baked green pangash
Ingredients: 
1 kg (8-10 small pieces) pangash (basa) skinless, boneless 
1 bunch coriander leaves 
2 tbsp lime juice 
1 tsp black pepper 
1 green chilli 
2 cloves garlic 
1 small piece ginger 
1 tbsp lemon zest 
Salt to taste

Method:
Prepare your fish, wash well and drain the water with a sieve. Set aside and let the fish dry. Put coriander, black pepper, green chilli, garlic, ginger and salt into the blender, pour lemon juice and blend into a smooth paste. Rub the fish with the paste and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. Preheat your oven. Sprinkle the lemon zest on the top of the fish. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 180°, or until the fish is thoroughly cooked.  You may want to turn the pieces over once if needed. Enjoy with brown rice and salad. 

Baked rupchanda with tomato  
Ingredients:
2 medium size rupchanda (pomfret) 
3 tomatoes 
1 small bunch coriander 
1 tbsp lemon juice 
1 tsp ginger 
2 cloves garlic 
1 tsp turmeric powder 
2 dried red chillies 
4 green chillies 
Salt to taste

Method:
Prepare the fish, wash well and drain water with a sieve. Cut two diagonal lines close to the heads with a sharp knife. Set aside and allow the fish to dry. Cut the tomatoes into approximately eight pieces, finely shred the ginger and roughly chop the garlic cloves. Set aside. Split the red chillies and green chillies vertically, set aside. Mix turmeric power and salt together and then rub onto the fish pieces and set aside. Put half of the readied ingredients in your baking dish, wrap the fish with coriander leaves, place them in the dish and cover with the rest of the ingredients. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or till the fish turns opaque.  The tomato and fish will leave a beautiful, light broth that you will not be able to resist dipping your bread in. 

Baked fish in soy sauce 
Ingredients:
1 kg basa/koral, boneless and skinless 
6 dried red chillies 
6 tbsp soy sauce 
1 tsp red chilli powder 
4 small onions 
2 tbsp brown sugar 
1 tbsp lemon juice 
Salt (optional)
Spring onions 

Method:
Prepare the fish, wash well and drain water with a sieve. Set aside and allow the fish to dry. Chop onion roughly and sauté until transparent.  Set the pan aside until the onion and the oil cools down to room temperature. Throw in chilli powder, salt, brown sugar, lemon juice, soy sauce and mix together with a spoon. Marinate the fish with this mixture for at least 20 minutes and refrigerate. Roughly chop the spring onion and set aside. Preheat the oven and place the fish in a baking dish (best if the same dish is your serving dish too). Pour the remaining spice mixture and oil on the fish. Take out the stems of the dried red chillies and place them on the fish. Throw in half of the chopped spring onion and bake for 15-20 minutes at 180° or until the fish is flaky. Have this hot and sweet fish with a small portion of steamed rice. 

Baked koral fillet 
Ingredients:
700g – 1kg (2 big sized fillets) koral fillet, skin on 
8-10 unpeeled garlic cloves 
1 tbsp black peppercorns 
4 tbsp olive oil 
1 tbsp cumin (whole) 
Sea salt 

Method:
Prepare the fish, wash well and drain water with a sieve. Set aside and allow the fish to dry.  Grind the peppercorns and cumin. Preheat your oven. Line your baking dish with some olive oil. Place the fillets on the dish and sprinkle the ground pepper, cumin and salt and garlic cloves. Cover with some more olive oil. Wrap well with aluminium foil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or bake until the fillets are opaque and flaky. Serve hot with salad or sautéed veggies. 

Photo: Sharmin Rahman

Timesaver's guide
All fish recipes given here are very easy to make and do not take more than 20 minutes to prepare, if you have cleaned and prepared your fish before you refrigerated them. Remember to thaw your fish before starting the process. You can also marinate the fish and refrigerate beforehand; this will save you preparation time.