This easy baked fish recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make, but has all the taste of a gourmet dish. Start with fresh or frozen fillets of your favorite "white" fish, such as halibut, cod, or snapper, and wrap them in tin foil, parchment paper, or, for that authentic Thai taste, in banana leaves (available fresh or frozen at most Asian stores). Make the special Thai sauce in a matter of minutes on your stovetop, then put the two together, and you have an easy fish recipe that is simply delicious.
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 fillets of fresh or frozen "white" fish, such as cod (pictured here), snapper, halibut, etc.. (SERVES: 2 )
- 2 "sheets" banana leaves, OR tin foil, OR parchment paper
- juice from 1/2 lime (OR substitute lemon juice)
- salt
- SAUCE:
- 1 stalk lemongrass, minced (see below), OR 2 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass (available in Asian stores)
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1-2 tsp. chilli sauce, OR 1-2 fresh chillies, minced (2 chillies for spicy, 1 for medium, 1/2 for mild)
- 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves and stems
- 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar (OR substitute with red wine vinegar, or white vinegar)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. water
- GARNISH:
- handful of fresh coriander leaves
- handful of fresh basil leaves
Preparation:
For complete instructions on how to buy and prepare lemongrass, see my All About Lemongrass Guide.
- Rinse fish fillets and pat dry. Drizzle a little lime juice over each fillet, then sprinkle with salt.
- Place the first fillet in the middle of a sheet of tin foil, parchment paper, or banana leaf. Fold over the ends of the sheet, then the sides. Place seam-side down in a baking pan or dish. Note: Make sure the dish has sides, as some juice might escape.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
- While the fish is baking, prepare the sauce. Place all sauce ingredients in a sauce pan, stirring well. Bring to a soft boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, simmering until lemongrass has softened (about 5 minutes).
- Turn the heat to low, and do a taste test. If the sauce is too salty for your taste, add a squeeze of lime juice. If it's too sour, add a little more brown sugar. If not salty enough, add a little more fish sauce. Goal: This sauce should be strong and tangy - a balance between sweet and sour, with a hit of spice (chilli and garlic).
- Cover the sauce to keep it warm.
- After 15 minutes, open one of the fish "packets". Insert a fork into the center of the fillet and gently pull apart. If the inner flesh is still translucent, return the fish to the oven for 5 more minutes. If it's opaque and comes apart easily, the fish is done.
- If you've used banana leaves, serve the fish right in the packet (just drain out the juices beforehand), placing the packet on a plate. Otherwise, remove the fillets from the foil/paper, and place on plates with the sauce either drizzled over the top, or on the side. Add a sprinkling of fresh coriander and basil leaves, and serve with plenty of Thai jasmine rice.
Serving Suggestion: Accompany this fish dish with a Thai salad for a balanced and nutritionally satisfying meal (See suggested recipe links below).
