Spicy Baked Basa With Lemon And Garlic is a 30-minute quick dinner made with Basa fish fillets and a few other simple ingredients. It’s low-carb, keto-friendly, and bursting with flavors (gluten-free, dairy-free).
You can use Basa fish to make Crispy Fish Fingers and Honey Garlic Fish. It can also be used to make Indian Fish Curries.

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About Spicy Baked Basa
Spicy Baked Basa is a delicious and quick dinner recipe made using basa fish fillets, tomato puree, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, and a few spices.
Boneless basa fillets are coated with a spicy marinade and then baked until perfectly cooked.
This baked basa recipe is easy to make, needs minimal ingredients, and comes together in under 30 minutes.
Instead of baking the fish in an oven, you can also cook it on an outdoor grill. I have mentioned the process below.
Serve this fish dish for a comforting dinner with a side of refreshing salad or sautéed veggies. Double or triple the recipe for a bigger crowd.
Here are a few more other fish recipes that you may like
- Crispy Fish Tacos With Cabbage Slaw
- Pan Seared Japanese Teriyaki Tilapia
- Spicy Baked Tilapia
- Salmon Panang Curry
- Fish Fingers
- Fish Molee
- Goan Fish Curry
- Salmon Mac And Cheese
- Paprika Salmon
- Hibachi Salmon
Ingredients


Basa Fillets – Basa is a variety of catfish which is native to South East Asia. It’s a very bland fish and takes the taste of the ingredients it is cooked with.
I prefer to use the fresh Basa fillets, as it’s much tastier and healthier than the frozen ones. But if not available, you can make it with frozen Basa too.
If you are using the frozen Basa, thaw it and drain all the water. Dab the fish with a kitchen towel to get rid of extra moisture.
If basa fillets are not available, then use any white fish fillets to make this recipe.
Tomato Puree – Use canned tomato puree for the best taste. You can replace tomato puree with tomato paste too.
Lemon Juice – Use freshly squeezed lemon juice (or lime juice) for the best taste.
Others – You will also need fresh ginger, garlic, red chili paste, salt, and black pepper powder.
You can adjust the quantity of red chili paste as per your taste preference.
How To Make Spicy Baked Basa
Preheat the oven to 360 degrees f (180 degrees c).
Rinse 14 oz (400 g) of boneless basa fillets and drain well.
Arrange the basa fillets on a baking tray in a single layer and dab them with paper tissues to get rid of any extra moisture.

Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper all over the fish and keep aside for 15 minutes.

Stir together
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon red chili paste
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
- 2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (or lime juice)
in a bowl.

Brush the marinade on both sides of the fish fillets.

Keep the tray in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the fish is flaky.
Note – If you have a candy thermometer, then check the internal temperature of the cooked fish, it should be 140-145 degrees F (60-65 degrees C).
Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot with grilled vegetables.


Frequently Asked Questions
Marinate the fish fillets and wrap the fillets individually in aluminum foil. Grill for 15-20 minutes, flipping a few times in between.
Yes, You can use any white fish like haddock, catfish, cod, grouper, snapper, tilapia, etc to make this recipe.
Variations
If you want to make a variation of this Baked Basa, then try this marinade instead of the one mentioned in the recipe below.
Butter Paprika Basa – Make a marinade of 1 tablespoon melted and cooled butter, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1 teaspoon dried basil.
Thyme Garlic Basa – Make a marinade of 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 1 teaspoon chopped garlic.
Butter Lemon Basa – Make a marinade of 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon coconut oil, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon lemon zest.
Serving Suggestions
Spicy Baked Basa can be enjoyed on its own, or with a side of refreshing salad or grilled or sautéed veggies on the side.
You can also serve it with herbed rice, pasta, or risotto.
Storage Suggestions
Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container for 3-4 days. Reheat in a pan or oven until nice and hot before serving.
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Recipe Card

Spicy Baked Basa Recipe With Lemon And Garlic
Ingredients
- 14 ounce boneless Basa fillets (400 g)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon red chili paste
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoons canned tomato puree (or 1 tablespoon tomato paste)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 360 degrees f (180 degrees c).
- Rinse basa fillets and drain well.
- Arrange the basa fillets on a baking tray in a single layer and dab them with paper tissues to get rid of any extra moisture.
- Sprinkle salt and black pepper all over the fish and keep aside for 15 minutes.
- Stir together vegetable oil, red chili paste, ginger, garlic, tomato puree, and lemon juice in a bowl.
- Brush the marinade on both sides of the fish fillets.
- Keep the tray in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the fish is flaky.
- Note – If you have a candy thermometer, then check the internal temperature of the cooked fish, it should be 140-145 degrees F (60-65 degrees C).
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot with grilled vegetables.
Sohini
The frozen basa we get here in convenience is something I avoid. Simply because I don’t like the taste of Basa as much. I got hold of some fresh Indian basa fillets this morning and decided to give this recipe a go. Really good. I added very less chilli paste though and substituted the rest with red chilli sauce.
Only because we have very low tolerance for chillies in this house!!
Definitely making this again!!
Neha Mathur
Thnx for trying 🙂
Sandra
Hi:) Which red chili paste did you use?
Neha Mathur
I Sandra, I used my homemade paste. Here is the recipe https://www.whiskaffair.com/red-chili-paste/
GP
Tried the recipe today as i wanted something different from the usual Indian marinade. Absolutely loved it. My husband loved it a lot which is the biggest certificate as he can be a little fussy. Just used a variety of Indian dry red chillies to make the chilli paste. It was simply amazing. Grilled a bit at the end in the oven. Thanks Neha
Neha Mathur
Happy to hear this 🙂
Gurpreet Kaur
I tried baking Basa many times in the oven but it came out to be watery and stale looking. Your recipe is awesome as I’m vegetarian but my whole family enjoyed it. Thank you.
Gurpreet Kaur
I tried baking Basa many times in the oven but it came out to be watery and stale looking. Your recipe is awesome as I’m vegetarian but my whole family enjoyed it. Thank you.
Neha Mathur
Glad to know this 🙂
Ryan
Great recipe I based by first Basa dish on. I used lime juice, chiu chow chili oil and olive oil. Great barbecued. Thanks!
Neha Mathur
Happy to hear 🙂
Ashley
I made this and it came out surprisingly well! Thanks for the recipe.
Neha Mathur
Happy to hear 🙂
hoa
Thank you so much, I would like to indroduce this recipe to more people !
Adrian Staff
just made this recipe using frozen Basa and gochujang chilli paste served with rice…. wow!!! will definitely be making again and going to spread the left over sauce onto my chicken thighs I’m having tomorrow….
thanks