Nigerian Style Oven Baked Fish And Vegetables

This is my first attempt ever at baking fish in an oven at home and I think I’m hooked on this recipe. Thinking about it, its kind of strange because I do cook quite a fair share of grilled chicken, steak even prawns in the oven but for some reason I would only cook my fish on an open grill or griddle. I was inspired to try this recipe, after I visited my sister inlaw for dinner recently and she dished up this gourmet style looking grilled fish. I enjoyed her fish so thoroughly, I decided to give the recipe a spin but with my own twist to it. This recipe comes highly recommended, it is so easy to make, yet very very tasty. It’s also super healthy, which is something I strive to achieve with my meals these days. You can easily have your 5- A-day in this one meal, with its combination of vegetables that are melt in the mouth delicious. It’s currently the newest addition to my arsenal of recipes for date nights with the hubs and when I want something quick and easy to entertain guests.

Here’s what you need to make it.

Ingredients

For The Fish

•  Whole Croaker/ Tilapia/ Mackerel/ Red snapper / Cat Fish (Any Fish of your choice, I used Croaker)

•  Oyster sauce

•  Soy sauce

•  Red Chilli Peppers

•  Nsukka peppers ( Some people call this Cameroun peppers. Its sun dried chilli and the flavor is out of this world)

•  Garlic clove

•  Ginger

•  Oil ( I used sesame seed oil)

•  Cube seasoning ( I used Knorr)

For The Baked Vegetables
•  A knob of Butter

•  Carrot

•  Cabbage

•  Irish Potatoes

•  Black Pepper

Directions

1. Clean, descale, and gut fish. Make about an inch deep cuts across both sides of the fish and set aside.

2. Blend together some oil, knorr cubes, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce and all peppers, with some water to make a slighly loose paste.

3. Rub in blended pepper into fish. Massage into every opening of fish, you might need gloves to do this, the mixture is quite spicy. 

Put in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour. I left mine for about 6hhrs.

4. Chop all vegetables into small chunks or slices, spice with some black pepper and salt. Transfer into a foil wrap. Add a generous knob of butter and close competely.

5. Wrap up marinated fish in foil paper and bake together with vegetables in a hot oven (270C) for about one hour.

6. 10-15mins to the end of the cooking time, open foil paper of fish and put some holes through the foil paper to drain off the fish stock (Liquid). Continue cooking with foil wrap open until the fish has a crispy top. Bring out fish and vegetables from oven at the same time and serve hot.

There's my fish! served rustic, no frills just full on flavour. Trust me this is one recipe you want to try.

Notes:  After I dished out the vegetables I realised it could have done with more colours, so for my next attempt I would try using large red, green, and yellow peppers and possibly some aubergines and sweet potatoes.

Tried it? Let me know what you did differently and how it came out.

Bon Appétit