Early concepts of ovens have been there since cave people learned to place slabs of rocks to put their food in and place them on top of fire to cook their food. Over the countless millennia that have passed, mankind has learned to insulate the heat of these makeshift ovens by putting rocks around the slab, so that the food doesn’t only get cooked at the bottom, but at the top as well as the sides, too! Now, fried fish in oven.
Some cave bloke must have chucked a spear towards a creek and bulls-eyed a fish. He brought said fish on a spear to his makeshift rock oven. Put it in there and wait for a bit till it smelled good.
Fortunately, the concept of cooking fish in ovens hasn’t died out with him. His descendants have been creative in cooking fish in ovens in more sophisticated ways that didn’t require us to use spears and rocks, and with that in mind, we are going to discuss some 20th Century style in cooking fried fish in ovens.
Oven Baked Fish Recipes – Thai Edition
Convectional ovens are one of the easiest and most efficient means of cooking most kinds of food. From meats, pies and even fish!
With this subtopic, we are going to discuss how to whip yourself up some Baked Whole Fish in Garlic-Chili Sauce.
First and foremost, you’re going to need to gather up some ingredients for the sauce:
- Oyster sauce – one quarter of a cup should do
- Soy sauce – one quarter of a cup should do
- Garlic – eight to ten cloves, pressed or minced
- Fish sauce – one tablespoon
- Brown sugar – two tablespoons
- Black pepper – one quarter of a teaspoon
- Lime or lemon juice – one tablespoon, freshly squeezed
- Chilies – one to three pieces, sliced
- Alternatively, you can procure some Thai chili sauce if you have some lying around. You can add more chilies or sauce if you’d like depending on your taste
Secondly, it is time to prepare the ingredients that you are going to need for the fish
- Whole red snapper – One or two whole fish. If you are not aware as to what kind of fish are red snappers. Examples are: Tilapia, rainbow Trout or Gray Mullets. Either fresh or frozen will do.
- Oil – four tablespoons. This is if you are grilling the fish
- Garnish – depending on preference, you can either have lemon wedges or slices
- Coriander – one handful, fresh
- Basil – one handful, fresh
Enjoy the Authentic Chinese Steamed Fish Recipes
Steps and instructions on how to make Baked Whole Fish in Garlic-Chili Sauce:
Step 1:
To start, make sure to prepare all the ingredients that were mentioned prior.
Step 2:
Fire up the oven up to three hundred seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit. If it is a grill, heat it to medium-high
Step 3:
For the sauce ingredients, gather them in one container, preferably a medium-sized bowl. Where they will all fit and mix thoroughly, then put it aside for later.
Step 4:
Get a chopping board and place the snapper horizontally, and with a knife. Make scars that run vertically from the top to the bottom, spacing out the scars evenly. Flip the snapper over and do the scars to the other side as well
Step 5:
Get some aluminium foil or a banana leaf to wrap the snapper up. Ensuring that the wrapping material is big enough that the snapper is completely wrapped. But do not wrap the snapper yet!
Step 6:
Get the sauce that you have combined and set aside from Step 3. Using a tablespoon, pour some of the sauce throughout the fish. Ensuring that the parts where you have wounded are poured in as well. Do not finish all the sauce! You’re going to need some of it for later.
Step 7:
If you were using an aluminium foil. Wrap up the fish in a manner that is enclosing the whole body but not too tightly that the aluminium is attached to the skin. Leave a gap wide enough to prevent the skin of the fish from sticking at the top.
If you are using a banana leaf, the opposite approach should be done. You need as much of the banana skin to be firmly sticking to the skin of the fish as when the fish is being baked in the oven. The fiber and nutritious contents of the banana leaves seep into the fish and not only adds to its overall flavour, it also adds vitamins and minerals as well.
For a more secure fit, tear an elongated piece of banana leaf. Turn it into a makeshift string to tightly wrap the banana leaf towards the fish.
Step 8:
To prevent spillage, you have to use a baking pan large enough to house the entire snapper. The heat of the oven will cause the fish to expand, and some of the sauce as well as some moisture within the fish will inevitably leak out, and having some of it spilling in large amounts inside your oven might cause some damage, so to prevent potentially ruining your oven, place a makeshift catch basin of sorts at the bottom.
It can be another baking pan or similar to catch the liquid that might spill over while baking.
Step 9:
Depending on how big or thick your snapper is, your baking time might vary. An average would be around twenty minutes or so.
Step 10:
After the allotted time, take the snapper off from the oven and inspect if the meat within the wounds have been cooked.
If it is still raw, place the snapper back into the oven. Let it bake for an additional eight to ten minutes, or until you are satisfied with how it looks cooked.
Step 11:
After baking, open up the foil or leaf in a bowl-like manner and pour the remaining sauce.
Step 12:
Add in the basil, coriander as well as the lemons! In closing, having fried fish in oven is a rather delicate process as you run the risk of breaking the fish apart or either over or undercooking it. With a bit of practice and getting used to, you will get the hang of it and in no time, you will be able to cook your own fried fish in oven!
