Oven Baked Fish

Ingredients

Fish Pieces - 10 Nos.
Fish Fry Masala - 2 tbsp
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric (optional) - 1/4 tsp
Salt - To Taste
Lemon Juice - About 10 drops

Method

Marinating:

1. Wash the fish pieces really well. Drain the water completely.
2. Take the fish pieces in a bowl. Add all the other ingredients to the fish pieces.
3. Mix them well. Check for salt.
4. Keep in the freezer for an hour OR refrigerate 2 - 3 hrs.

Baking in the Oven:

1. Pre - heat the oven to 400 F.
2. Grease a baking tray with oil (Olive oil / any refined oil)
3. Arrange the fish pieces on the baking tray.
4. Bake for 20 minutes on the lower- most tray.
5. Flip over the fish pieces and bake for another 20 min.
6. Turn the oven to BROIL mode and broil the fish for 2 -3 min.
7. Serve as an appetizer OR enjoy as a side with rice and fish kuzhumbhu / sambhar / paruppu kuzhumbhu / dhal or any variety rice.

Note

1. Every oven is different. So baking time may change a bit by + / - 5 min.
2. If the fish pieces are thin, then 20 + 20 minutes should be fine for baking. If the pieces are thick, then 10 more minutes is needed for perfect cooking.
3. The Fish Fry masala can be replaced by 1 tbsp of red chilli powder.
4. In case, after 10 min of baking, if the baking tray has water oozed out from the fish, do the following: take all the fish pieces in a bowl, pour out the water in the sink, add little salt and chilli powder (to compensate for their loss in the water) arrange them back in the tray and continue baking.

Masala Fish Fry

Ingredients

Fish pieces - 10 Nos.
Big onion (medium sized) - 1/4
Tomato - 1
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 4 large pods
Tamarind - 1/2 of a pod
Cumin seeds - 1/4 sp
Red chilli powder - 1 sp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 sp
Salt - To taste

Procedure

1. Add all the ingredients except fish pieces, in a blender / mixie and grind to a fine paste w/o adding water.
2. Mix with the fish pieces and marinate for 1 hr in the refrigerator (not the freezer)
3. Take a heavy bottomed pan, add sufficient oil at a medium heat. 
4. When the oil is hot enough, fry the pieces one by one,until both sides are done.
5. Place the masala, if in excess, on the fish pieces while deep frying.
6. Serve as such as an appetizer / with white rice & fish curry.

Note

1. This fish can be roasted on a skillet / dosa tawa with less oil.
2. The masala on the fish tend to brown while frying, which will also be tasty to eat.
3. Never mind, if the masala tend to spread in the oil while deep frying.