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Wednesday, 5 September 2018

#ewew cooks Baked Fish with Potatoes & Vegetables

My favourite way of eating fish at home is to fry them till crispy (as it's also the simplest way I know how to cook them) and serve it with a sauce of soy, garlic oil and crispy minced garlic.

But that was before I started avoiding frying fish as it creates too much of an oily mess in the kitchen and I really hate to have to do the cleaning up afterwards.  I thought why not bake the fish instead.  It shouldn't be too difficult even though I've never baked fish before.  This is my first attempt at baking fish...so here's my Baked Fish with Potatoes & Vegetables which leaves only minimal cleaning to do afterwards.

Ingredients:

A piece of white fish steak (or fillet), about an inch thick, approximately 200g
1 large clove of garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp water (optional)
1 tsp olive oil

Preparation:

Prepare the sauce for the fish by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl.  Do a taste test and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Make a little 'boat' with the baking paper.  This is to ensure the sauce does not seep out onto the tray.  Pour the sauce all over the fish and finish with a light sprinkling of (freshly cracked) black pepper.

Method:

Make sure the fish is well coated with the sauce.  Bake at 200°C for about 12 - 15 minutes (depending on the size and thickness of the fish).

Flake a corner of the fish if you're not sure if the fish is done.  If it's fully cooked, the fish will be opaque and should flake easily.

I like to serve the baked fish with some potato wedges and vegetables (of cauliflower and broccoli) simply seasoned with a combination of salt, black pepper and smoked paprika.

This piece of fish (approximately 150g) was just the bottom quarter of a larger piece of white fish and I cooked it for about 12 minutes.

You can use any white fish of your choice but it's paramount that the fish is fresh.  I used grouper ("sek pan" or ikan kerapu) for this.

The fish was moist and flaky with a sauce that had salty, sweet and garlicky flavours all in one but do note that there won't be crispy skin since the fish was cooked in liquid (aka a sauce).  The skin can be discarded if you don't want to eat it.

Another time, I made it with a larger piece of fish (about 200g, also grouper), so I cooked this for much longer, around 15 minutes.

During the baking process, the sauce will likely evaporate, thicken or reduce, so add a tbsp of water if you want a bit more sauce.

I made some potato wedges again but this time I only had some leftover beansprouts in my fridge, so beansprouts it is then.  I know, I know, it's a weird combo...let's call this my east-west fusion dish...kekeke! ;D

Blanch the beansprouts in hot boiling water.  Toss them in some soy and garlic oil (or you could also use the sauce from the fish) and top with fried minced garlic if you have.

On days when I'm looking for a light meal, this Baked Fish with Potatoes & Vegetables is just what I need.  A dish that's healthy to eat and easy to make! ^o^

10 comments:

  1. I can understand the messy stains after so much frying in the kitchen. In Thailand, they have this culture habit to lay old newspapers on the kitchen floor while big frying is in session. So I learnt this from my mum to keep my kitchen floor grease free.

    This is so smart to bake the fish instead of frying. Now you got me creative that I could toss any vegetable with any meat to bake too! I love bean sprouts too and this combo is not weird but innovative!

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    1. This culture of laying down old newspapers is practised here as well by some...hehe! ;) The newer generation would invest in a cooker hood (like me) to minimise greasy floors but the kitchen top still gets messy.

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  2. sounds like your household should start getting used to baked fish instead of fried fish! i guess the switch is fine though, since it's definitely healthier - and you can indulge in fried fish when you eat at restaurants! :)

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    1. That's why I like to order fried stuff (chicken, squid, fish, anything) at restaurants...hahaha...mess-free! :D But, alas, my household still prefers fried fish over baked fish! :(

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  3. That sure looks good! I have tried baking fish in the oven but I disliked it because so much water came out of the fish. Did you buy the fish from the market and cooked in right away or was it frozen and then defrosted? I'm just wondering if fish that was frozen would be watery because mine were frozen ones. Your baked fish and potato wedges and veggies have got my tummy rumbling. It's almost dinner time hee..hee...

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    1. Yes, I bought the fish from the market and, no, I didn't cook it straight away...it was frozen and then defrosted. My baked fish didn't release much water. In fact, I had to add some water during the baking process to get more sauce. I agree that when fish is defrosted, there tends to be quite a bit of water released. Before you bake, make sure you pat the fish completely dry with paper towels. In fact, I would rest the piece of fish on paper towels and put it back into the fridge to let the water seep out completely.

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    2. Oh I see! Thanks for the tip. I will be sure to dry my fish first before baking it.

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    3. You're welcome. Here's hoping that your next baked fish will be more successful! :)

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  4. Baking dishes definitely the easiest way to prepare food and the aftermath cleaning is easy too :P

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