Tandoori Fish
This tandoori fish is a classic Indian recipe that is very popular among Indians and non-Indians alike, and for a good reason. This simple and easy recipe is ready in about 15 minutes. It’s prepared with simple spices to flavor the fish and a yogurt marinade that keeps it soft and moist.
Tandoori means cooked in a special earth oven. A tandoor oven is a huge oven made of mud. It’s hollow on the inside, and the temperature is hotter than that of any home or commercial oven. But you can make the same amazing tandoori at home in your oven.
Why make this tandoori fish?
- Tandoori masala is a versatile marinade that works for chicken, beef, and ribs, as well as fish, shrimp, and prawns.
- Most of the ingredients in the marinade are simple, easy-to-find spices and pantry staples like Greek yogurt.
- You can marinate the fish for as little as 10 minutes or overnight in the fridge.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Fish – You can use fresh or frozen fish. If you use frozen fish, make sure to thaw and pat it dry so the marinade sticks to it well. I like to fish fillets, but you can also use whole fish such as tilapia, cod, or halibut. Alternatively, cut the fish into smaller chunks like the tandoori fish tikka. And you can also skewer these onto a barbecue skewer.
- Ginger garlic – Use fresh garlic paste and fresh ginger paste. The best way to make a paste is to place them in the food processor or blender.
- Spice:
- The next time you visit an Asian / Indian grocery store, look for Tandoori masala powder. It’s a good mix of spices to have around if you like cooking Indian food. Usually, these have a long shelf life. And yet, you can also put them in a box and in the fridge so they stay fresh longer.
- For this recipe, we are not using store-bought tandoori masala. Rather, I use homemade tandoori masala. It is a combination of regular Indian spices that you can easily find, like cumin, coriander, etc.
- Yogurt – Traditionally, Tandoori marination is made with yogurt or curd. And yet, if you prefer, you can also substitute it with two tablespoons of coconut cream to make this vegan or parve. And the coconut cream will make sure the fish stays moist and creamy.
- Greek Yogurt – The purpose of using Greek yogurt is that it is thick and has less moisture. I remember my mom would make hung yogurt using regular homemade yogurt for these types of recipes. Tie the yogurt in a muslin cloth over a sieve for a few hours to drain the excess moisture.
Step-by-step: How to make a tandoori fish recipe
- Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C / Gas Mark 6
- Prep the fish – Wash, clean, and pat dry the fish. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
- Pan – Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy clean-up. Spray or brush the fish with oil to prevent it from sticking.
Pro tip – Make sure the fish is dry. Otherwise, the marinade will slide down the fillets as soon as they are in the oven.
- Tandoori marinade – In a mixing bowl, combine all the tandoori masala ingredients. Stir or whisk to ensure there are no lumps in the marinade.
- Marinate the fish – Place the fish on the baking tray and evenly spread the marinade over the fillets.
Pro tip – Alternatively, you can add the fillets to the marinade bowl and leave them to marinate for an hour on the counter or overnight in the fridge. - Bake – Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked.
- Cool – Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh cilantro.
Pro tip – Use a large flat spatula to pick and transfer the fish without breaking.
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Frequently asked questions
This fish will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make sure to wrap well so the breadcrumbs do not dry.
Tandoori dishes are associated with this bright orange/red color. This is the edible color available at any Asian or Indian grocery store. That said, the color does not add any flavor or taste to the fish, so it can be omitted.
Tandoori is an Indian dish, so I love to serve it with Indian side dishes. Today, I served it with my Indian spiced potatoes, but you can also serve it with: turmeric coconut rice, vegetable pilaf, aloo gobi, channa masala, and kidney beans curry. When I want a low-carb option, I love to serve it with my cauliflower rice, such as with my turmeric rice or mustard dill rice.
Tandoori Fish
This baked Tandoori fish is a classic Indian recipe that is very popular among Indians and non-Indians alike, and for a good reason. This simple and easy recipe is ready in about 15 minutes. It's prepared with simple spices to flavor the fish and a yogurt marinade that keeps the fish soft and moist.
Ingredients
- 4 (900 g) Fish fillets about 2 lbs
- ½ cup (120 ml) Greek yogurt
- 2 Garlic cloves
- ¼ inch Ginger
- ½ tbsp Lemon juice
- ½ tsp Pepper powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Canola oil
- 1 tbsp Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 1 tsp Hot paprika for spiciness
- 1 tsp Sweet paprika for the color
- 1 pinch of red edible tandoori color optional – mostly used in restaurants
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C / Gas Mark 6
- Prep the fish – Wash, clean, and pat dry the fish—season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
- Pan – Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy clean-up. Spray or brush with oil to prevent the fish from sticking.
- Tandoori marinade – In a mixing bowl, combine all the tandoori masala ingredients. Stir or use a whisk to ensure you have no lumps in the marinade.
- Marinate the fish – Place the fish on the baking tray and spread the marinade over the fish fillets evenly.
- Bake – Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked.
- Cool – Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.
Nutrition
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Looks easy and simple to make! I love the colors youve developed here!!
Thanks Hanady !
I usually enjoy anything Tandoori. As I am a vegetarian, my favorite is Paneer and next Tandoori Aloo. This time when I was visiting home, I was so close to buying a small Tandoor, but that didn’t happen 🙁
Anvita I love Tandoori Aloo and Cauliflower too! Often I when I make Tandoori chicken I throw some veggies on the bottom of the chicken to catch the drippings..
The bright red color of tandoori is always so striking – I had no idea it’s something restaurants use and it’s just color, not flavor! We love tandoori chicken and fish, so now I’m excited to try my own version at home, since I already have all these spices on hand.
Yes a lot of people don’t realize it’s just color.. Often when I have guest over I try to use the color. Ppeople think it’s not tandoori without that color – conditioning..!!
We do have clay bakers that would work with this dish. We eat fish several times a week so I’m always on the lookout for new and different recipes. I really like the flavors. We’ve used yogurt with chicken but never with fish. This will be an exciting first for me.
I think you will love it Marisa.. this marinade is so versatile.
This tandoori marinade sounds really good. I love all those flavors you’ve used in this. I also like to use greek yogurt in a lot of recipes so I’m sure this would be great!
Yeah Greek yogurt just makes sure all the marinade stays on the fish rather than slide off..
Wow, Veena! The colour on that fish is gorgeous! It’s so inviting. The pictures are making me crave it right now. 🙂 I love the spice blend too. I’m assuming this would work well on any denser fish, right?
Thank you Byron. I know you love Indian and I think you will feast over this..Absolutely any fish would work really.. I use prawns too!!
We are lucky where we live and have many Indian restaurants that have real tandoori ovens. And those tandoori spices – just perfect. The tandoori fish looks great and I am looking forward to making it on the weekend.
Oh Lucky you Mark. I have no such luck here with the tandoor restaurant
Pretty color!!
Thanks Priya
I’m going to look for the tandoori masala powder. A restaurant I love near me makes tandoori spiced tofu that’s my favorite.
Absolutely Amy.. you will love that spice
I’m always hesitant to cook fish, I never get it right, but this recipe looks so good I might have to give it another try! I also haven’t done too much Tandoori so it’d be an adventure for sure!
I only ever trust myself to cook with fish and only order fish in a place I know for sure is good.. Not everybody gets it right lol