Here’s the fish dish I made in parallel to the mock fish I made for my vegetarian husband last Tuesday. I baked Pacific Ocean perch using a very simple recipe. I flavored the fish with red Thai chiles, onions and Thai basil.
I served the fish on a bed of Chinese pea shoots and kept the meal fairly healthy. Enjoy!
1. Info for Baked Ocean Perch Recipe
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Servings: 2
- Calories: 191kcal
2. Ingredients for Baked Ocean Perch Recipe
- 1 wholePacific Ocean perch
- 3 white onions, cut into thick wedges
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 red Thai bird chiles, stemmed and thickly sliced
- 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark honey
- 2 cups Thai basil leaves
- 8 green onions (white part only), cut in half, lengthwise
- 2 lemons, freshly squeezed
- 1 to 1-½ cups chicken broth, as needed
- 1 tablespoon canola oil (or any neutral oil)
3. Directions:
3.1 Marinating the fish
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Note: I used heavy duty aluminum foil to prevent it from tearing too easily.
Cover the baking sheet with the green onions and white onion wedges.
Ask your fishmonger to prep the fish. Make sure the fish skin is scaled. Wash and pat dry using paper towels. Place the fish in a shallow dish. Drizzle with the juice of 1 lemon.
In a mortar and pestle, combine the garlic, red chiles, honey and soy sauce. Coarsely grind the mixture.
Pat the fish dry again with paper towels. With a sharp knife, make 4-5 deep parallel incisions into the flesh of the fish. Season with kosher salt on both sides. Place the whole fish onto the baking sheet. Spoon the the spicy marinade over the fish, making sure it coats the fish well. Drizzle a tablespoon of oil evenly in the dish.
3.2 Assembly time
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Top the fish with basil leaves. Cover the bottom of the pan with chicken broth. Cover with another sheet of aluminum foil. Place the fish in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Decrease the temperature to 425°F and continue cooking an additional 25-30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Drizzle with the rest of the lemon juice. Transfer the fish onto a platter. Let the fish rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Bon appétit!
4. Tips and advices:
- I bought wild-caught Ocean perch at a local Asian market; it was $1.79 per pound. You can use any other white fish such as cod or flounder.
- When buying the fish, ask your fishmonger to gut and scale it for you and ask for the the head and tail to be removed.
