Baked Fish (Oven Grilled Fish)
Updated: June 10, 2024, By Swasthi
This Baked Fish is so good that you will instantly fall in love with it. Your favorite fish gets marinated in a lemony aromatic spice blend and baked to perfection in the oven. Here I use salmon fillet, but you may use any other fish you like. This Grilled Fish goes well in any meal but plain rice is best.
This Baked fish is made much the same way like the Kerala Fish Pollichathu but this is grilled in the oven. Fish Pollichathu is a popular dish from Kerala cuisine where pan-fried fish is covered with a spicy masala and steam cooked in a banana leaf. It is further cooked in a pan until the fish is steamed to perfection. This method helps the fish to soak up plenty of flavors.
I won’t call this a Meen Pollichathu because this is not made exactly the same way. I developed this recipe with a few steps adapted from fish pollichathu and baked it in an oven without a banana leaf. While adapting this for the oven I had to simplify a lot of steps and I can say this is a simple recipe to make grilled fish in oven. You can further simplify the recipe by omitting the shallots but I think they add a lot of flavor.
We love the crunch on this fish and that comes from a sprinkle of roasted semolina which is optional. There is another popular recipe from the Mangalorean Cuisine known as Rava Fish Fry. Though that is a pan fried fish, I adapted that for this recipe. Though you won’t get the same kind of crisp texture, it tastes good.
What you need for Baked Fish
- Fish: While I used salmon for convenience you may use any kind of fish you like. Trout, Bass, Cod, Tilapia, snapper, Pomfret are some great choices for this recipe. You can use fillets, steak or even whole fish. But keep in mind the baking time changes with the thickness of the fillet/steak or whole fish.
- Shallots: Shallots are used to impart a delicate flavor. They are sweeter and less strong than the other kind of onions, so they are the best and right choice here. However feel free to omit them or use yellow onion but saute for a little longer to get rid of the raw flavor.
- Ginger and garlic: Both these fresh spices add mild pungent tones to the masala and this balances the sweetness of the onions.
- Ground spices: You need basic Indian spices like turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala.
- Lemon juice: This is one of the most important ingredient. You need it to get rid of the fishy smell and to infuse those lemony flavors and tang.
More Fish Recipes
Fish Pakora
Tandoori Salmon
Fish Tikka
Andhra Fish Fry
Lemon Pepper Fish
Photo Guide
Step by step Photo Instructions
1. Saute shallots in oil until they lose the raw smell and turn golden. Add ginger garlic and saute for a minute. Add all the ground spices and saute until aromatic, for a minute. Cool down and add them to a grinder. Squeeze lemon juice and grind to a thick coarse paste. If it is too thick, sprinkle little water. Taste test and adjust salt, spices and lemon to your preference.
2. Pat dry the fish with kitchen papers to remove excess moisture.
3. Score the fish with a knife, keeping the base intact.
4. Apply half of the masala on the skin side. If you want you may remove the skin and apply.
5. Turn it to the other side and apply the rest.
6. Bake or grill in oven and optionally sprinkle semolina during the last 5 mins.
Serve Baked Fish hot with rice or any meal.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Baked Fish (Oven Grilled Fish)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 300 grams (1 medium) fish fillet (any firm fish)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ⅓ cup shallots (sliced thin or yellow onion)
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste (or ½ tsp each grated)
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder or paprika
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¾ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 to 1½ tbsp lemon juice (adjust to taste)
- ⅓ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon roasted semolina (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan and saute shallots until golden. Add ginger garlic and saute for 1 minute. Stir in all the ground spices and salt. Saute for a minute. Cool down and grind or crush to a coarse thick paste with lemon juice. If it is too thick, add a splash of water.
- Grease a prepared tray with little oil. Pat dry the fish and score in 3 to 4 places, keeping the base intact. Apply half of this over the fish, on the skin side. (If you want remove the skin and apply.) Turn it to the other side and apply the rest.
- Grill in oven: Preheat your oven at 450 F – 230 C, set to grill function for at least 15 mins. Place your tray in the center rack and grill for 18 to 20 mins depending on the thickness of your fish. Optionally if you want – during the last 5 mins bring the tray out of the oven and sprinkle the semolina and continue to bake.
- When done your fish flakes easily at the prick of the fork. The internal temperature of the fish in the thickest part should reach 145 F.
- Serve Baked fish hot with rice or as a side in any meal.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
made this recipe and yum!
Thank you Chef! Glad you like it
Hi, is the onion also a part of the marinade or only to be served as a salad on the side?
Hi, 1/4 cup chopped onions should go into the blender to make the paste.
I preferred my own hit and miss style of experimental cooking and believe myself to be an above average cook. I never believed n looking up recipes and the few times I read uo on revipes I never got down to really using them until I came across youe no frills, simple and easy to cook recipe. I find them great and have tried many of them without hesitation now coz I am sure that if it is Swasthi’s it will never fail. Grat going woman, u have inspired many like me and I am on real fan of yours. Thanks a lot for sharing yur fantastic recipes. I feel honoured to be sharing this experiance. I thank u everytime my children compliment my cooking now I get to thank you in person. 🙂
Hi Garima,
You are welcome. I am just speechless & so happy reading your comment. Thank you so much for the trust!
🙂
Hi. I made fish on tawa and it’s getting charred easily on both sides. Should I use kadai instead to fry fish on stove?
Hi Anjali,
You must fry on a low to medium flame. This recipe is for grilled fish in oven. You can check this tawa fish and this fish fry
Great recipe! When should I add corn flour, should it be mixed with the masala or drizzled over like semolina?
Thanks Cynthia
Add corn flour to a small strainer and sprinkle it directly on the marinated fillet. This gives a crust over the fillet. You can also skip it.
Can we market baked fish In pouches.
Very nice reisip
Thank you
Great recipe. Do they have to be fillets? Can’t we take normal fish pieces?
Thanks. Yes you can use any fish pieces.
Pretty good recipe, especially for being without oil.
Hi Didina
How are you? Thank you
🙂
I am well thank you 🙂
Tonight I will try your tawa salmon, I know baked is healthier but fried or sauteed in a pan tastes better to me 😉 . But this recipe is still good and I would definitely try it again, maybe with other spices in place of garam masala for a change (also I don’t like too much garam masala on fish).
Does the oven stay on 160 during the entire baking process? Thanks.
yes. You have to bake at 160 C thru out the process
Thank you, it’s looking good!
Wish to be in India for more
Hello Dear kindly tell how to make fish with out fisherie smell.Or anyone should not know that fish is cooking.please reply me at my mail address
Thnx
Hi Manish
Smear some vinegar over the fish and leave it for 2 to 3 mins. Wash off and pat dry use it. Do not leave it in vinegar for long, it will alter the taste and texture of the fish
hi, you have said remove the masala from the skin before baking.. why is that?
and if we buy a skinless fillet,then is there no need to remove the marination masala from the fish?
or is it that its part skin and part exposed meat – then we remove the masala only from the salmon skin?
please do suggest .
many thanks
Deepali I suggested to remove the masala from the skin just to prevent charring. You can also keep it no problem
can you suggest types of filet that would work well for this?
You can use any kind of fillet
This is so good that my house began to smell awesome. Thanks going to try more recipes
Welcome Mili
Glad to know you liked it. Yes do try more recipes
Tried this recipe today! Turned out awesome!
Thank you
Glad to know it was awesome
Great recipe, this will definitely please my wife, she is a foodie but not much of a kitchen person, she prefers dishes with less oil so preferably I will use olive, I am very happy that this recipe will make her crazy for fish and me.
Thanks,
Yes do try it.
Should I bake it in silver foil??? Or without ???
Haani,
you don’t need to wrap the fish in foil, you can use a greased aluminum foil, place the fish over it and bake. hope this helps
nice receipies
Thank you rj
munh mein pani aa gaya
🙂
Baked fish is my idea of a light meal and your version sounds yum…pics are magazine like!
Hi Swasthi, I love, love your baked fish… really tempting and appetizing. 2 thumbs up for you. Best regards.