Cilantro Baked Fish – 15 Minute Meals
Calling all cilantro lovers to enjoy a beautifully balanced yet bold fish recipe. This cilantro baked fish is a perfect choice when you want a light and refreshing fish dish. It takes two minutes to blend the ingredients and 15 minutes to bake in the oven. Therefore, giving you enough time to also prepare a side of veggies or mashed potatoes. Doesn’t get easier than this, does it?
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In our home, Sunday afternoon is fish for lunch. Why? Because it’s the first day of the week here. Saturday is the weekend. And, Friday dinner is a big deal. Also, I try to keep my weekends open so I can spend it with the kids.
Unfortunately, the weekend here is only Saturday. Yes, it sucks. Friday is half day school or work and Sunday starts the new week. And if you plan to meet the family on Friday for dinner almost half the weekend is gone.
Do you have family traditions related to food? Well, for us Thursday afternoon is Hummus for lunch. And Sunday is fish for lunch, like this cilantro baked fish. Also, my husband likes to have a light Friday lunch. So he eats cottage cheese and freshly baked challah with a side salad. The kids also love cottage cheese, so now it’s become a family tradition. Which is good because Friday dinner is usually a big meal.
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About this Fish
You have to love cilantro to enjoy this dish. And yet, I know that some people cannot stand cilantro while some, like me, can’t have enough of it. I LOVE cilantro, and as a result, I use it in almost everything. In fact, when a recipe calls for parsley I use cilantro instead.
The cilantro marinade with warm ginger and fragrant garlic is very beautifully balanced. And it works like a charm no matter which fish you use. I have tried it with salmon and also with tuna. In summer, my Aadi loves this cilantro marinade over fresh tuna and then grilled outdoor. He is a huge tuna fan.
In addition, I will often serve this with either one of these potato sides like mashed potatoes, spiced Indian potatoes, oven crisp chips, or oven baked wedges. Sometimes, we go with a side of vegetable rice, which the kids love very much. Personally, I love my fish with beans or asparagus on the side.
Frozen Fish
I often use frozen fish because that is what available and affordable for me. And yet, you can use any fresh or frozen fish you like for this recipe. Such as sea bass, tilapia, haddock or grouper. As I said above I have even used this marinade over tuna and salmon.
Tip for choosing frozen fish
- The best way to buy frozen fish is to buy the ones that are individually vacuum packed. Because they are well preserved that way.
- And yet, if you buy them in bulk, the best way to tell if they are good is to check that they are not stuck together.
- Most fish are individually frozen before they are put together in one bag. So, if they are stuck together it means they have been kept in non-frozen temperatures and then refrozen. Probably not something you want to risk eating. So, I suggest that you choose a different batch.
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Let’s talk Ingredients and Substitutes (Save/Pin)
- Fish – Use a fleshy fish that you will enjoy under all the delicious crispy topping. I use either Sea Bass or Tilapia because that’s what I get here. If you get fresh it’s always the best. And yet, if you have to rely on frozen fish, like me, then thaw the fish well before you cook it so it cooks evenly. I prefer to thaw in the fridge overnight. And yet, fish thaws really fast so a quick dip in the water for 15 minutes also works great.
- Ginger and garlic – Garlic does what it always does best – adds so much flavor. You can also use garlic powder. Ginger has a nice warmth that works beautifully with cilantro. Therefore, I highly recommend using it.
- Lemon Juice – A bit of freshness from the lemon is all you need to bring the flavors together.
- Cilantro – This herb is easily available in most supermarkets these days. Bright green in color and has wonderful fresh smell and taste.
If you love cilantro you must check out my cilantro fish cakes, cilantro lemon chicken, cilantro meatballs. All amazing recipes and also so easy to make.
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Recipe – Quick and Easy Cilantro Baked Fish (Save/Pin)
Useful Tips and Tools
- A chopping board and kitchen knife to clean and chop ingredients. Also, it’s best to use a disposable lining for your chopping board so you can get rid of any fish smell.
- A skillet to saute the onions and garlic.
- You will also need a Baking tray to bake the fish
- Baking foil makes for easy, clean and odor-free clean-up.
- A Bowl to mix all the ingredients.
- Spatula for easy transfer of fish to platter
- A grater for grating the cheese.
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Ingredients
- 3 fish fillet (see note above)
- 5 sprigs of cilantro (or 1 cup roughly chopped)
- 2 clove of garlic (small)
- 2 thin slices of ginger (1/4 inch)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 slices of lemon (1/2 lemon )
Method
- Thaw, clean and pat dry the fish.
- Preheat oven at 160 C/ 320 F.
- Blend the cilantro, garlic, ginger, and one tbsp oil into a food processor or blender.
- Line the baking pan with foil for easy cleanup.
- Spread some oil on the foil to avoid sticking.
- Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper.
- Place fish on the oiled baking tray skin side down.
- Spread the cilantro marinade over the fish fillets.
- Place the slices of lemon.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes on the middle rack.
- When cooked the flesh is white instead of opaque.
- Enjoy!
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Easy Cilantro Baked Fish Fillets, Baked Fish, Cilantro Fish Recipe, Easy Baked Fish Recipe
Cilantro Baked Fish
Ingredients
- 3 fish fillet see note above
- 5 sprigs Cilantro (about 1 cup roughly chopped)
- 2 cloves Garlic small
- 2 slices Ginger 1/4 inch
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 3 slices Lemon 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Thaw, clean and pat dry the fish.
- Preheat oven at 160 C/ 320 F
- Blend the cilantro, garlic, ginger, and one tbsp oil into a food processor or blender
- Line the baking pan with foil for easy cleanup.
- Spread some oil on the foil to avoid sticking.
- Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper.
- Place fish on the oiled baking tray skin side down.
- Spread the cilantro marinade over the fish fillets
- Place the slices of lemon
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes on the middle rack.
- when the flesh is white instead of opaque the fish is cooked.
- Enjoy!
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Nutrition Information
Do you like fish?
Check out some of my other fish recipes like Chraime or fish cakes.
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Marisa Franca
The minute I saw this recipe I was immediately captivated by the pretty colors especially the red from the pomegranate seeds. We eat lots of fish so this recipe is really welcome. I’m pinning it so I can make it next week. The colors remind me of Christmas.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Marisa. We love fish and this is one of our favorites.
Donna
These sound delicious, and I love how easy they are to put together! Love the pop of color from the pomegranate as well, and it just happens to be in season right now so why not 🙂
Veena Azmanov
yeah they are in season right now. Thanks Donna
Sara
This looks awesome. I love cilantro but had never considered putting it on fish before!
Veena Azmanov
Oh it’s goes so beautifully. You must try..
Katie Crenshaw
Oh yum! I LOVE cilantro. This fish dish looks AMAZING and healthy. Can’t wait to make this.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Katie. Let me know if you try it.
Diana
I absolutely love how easy this is! I’m going to make fish today, but more like the British classic of battered fish with chips. But will pin this to try later!
Veena Azmanov
I love the British Classic Battered Fish.. use to have that every trip to Manchester. Thanks for commenting
Amanda | che
I love baked fish meals. I usually do fish midweek here and lucky for us in Australia, certain types of fresh fish are reasonably priced. I am a big fan of cilantro and especially love it with fish. Great recipe!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you so much Amanda <3