The stunning golden hue of this baked fish recipe comes from turmeric, a spice known for its health benefits! In this Indonesian Turmeric Fish dish, it’s used in a fresh curry paste slathered on white fish fillets baked in the oven. To serve, the fish is topped with a deliciously punchy Indonesian tomato “salsa”.
A delight to look at and even better to eat, if you love South-East Asian food, this one’s got your name written all over it!
Ingredients
Quick lime marinade:4 x 180g / 6oz white fish fillets , medium to thick, skinless
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp lime juice
Turmeric Curry Paste:1 small eschalot
1 garlic clove , finely grated*
2 tsp fresh turmeric , finely grated* or substitute powdered
1 tsp ginger , peeled and finely grated*
1 1/2 tbsp macadamia nuts
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 kaffir lime leaf , torn by hand
2.5cm / 1 piece of fresh lemongrass, white part only, cut into 1cm / 0.2 pieces
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp water
Sambal Tomat Topping:
2 tsp oil
250g / 8oz cherry tomatoes , quartered
1 large red chilli (cayenne pepper) , deseeded and finely diced
2 tsp coriander/cilantro leaves , finely chopped (plus more for garnish)
1/4 tsp salt
Method- Prep: Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan). Line a tray with baking / parchment paper.
- Quick fish marinade: Sprinkle fish with salt and drizzle with lime juice. Leave in fridge while making paste – just 10 minutes is fine.
- Turmeric Curry Paste: Place ingredients in a container that fits a stick blender. Then blend with stick until smooth, using extra water if needed until it is a paste consistency (ie. can be slathered on fish).
- Slather and bake: Smear paste onto surface of fish (not underside). Bake for 15 minutes until the internal temperature is 55°C/131°F (medium, just cooked but not raw at all, very juicy).
- Rest: Remove from oven and remove fish from tray (otherwise it keeps cooking). Rest 3 minutes, serve over rice with Sambal Tomat (below) and extra fresh coriander.
- Sambal Tomat Topping: Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add tomato, chilli and salt. Sauté 2 minutes until tomato is slightly softened. Stir through coriander, serve over fish.