Spicy Baked Basa
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My Spicy Baked Basa With Lemon And Garlic is an easy dinner recipe I make using Basa fish fillets and a few other ingredients. It’s very flavorful and I’ve cooked it several times for my own meals. Try my easy recipe!
If you like Basa fish, then you must try these recipes as well – Fish Fingers and Honey Garlic Fish. You can also use the fillets to make Indian Fish Curries.
About Spicy Baked Basa
Our dinners these days often feature chicken and fish in some form, accompanied by a salad. Last week, I ordered fresh basa filets from our local fishmonger and made this Spicy Baked Basa recipe. It turned out very, very nice.
The great thing about this baked basa recipe is that it is easy to make, needs minimal ingredients, and comes together in under 30 minutes.
Boneless basa fillets are coated with a spicy marinade and baked until perfectly cooked.
Instead of cooking the fish in an oven, you can also cook it on an outdoor grill. I have also mentioned the grilling steps in the post below.
I like to have this dish with a salad or sautéed veggies for a nice dinner. You can also serve it with some mashed potatoes, cooked rice, quinoa, or couscous if you want something more filling.
Ingredients
Basa Fillets – Basa is a variety of catfish that is native to Southeast Asia. It’s a very bland fish that takes on the taste of the ingredients it is cooked with.
I prefer using fresh Basa fillets because I believe they are superior in terms of taste as compared to frozen ones. However, if fresh ones are unavailable, frozen Basa is a viable alternative.
Just remember, if you use frozen Basa, then thaw it well and drain all the water before cooking. Dab the fish with a paper towel to remove any extra moisture it may have.
Tomato Puree – To have more concentrated tomato flavor, I used canned tomato puree instead of freshly pureed tomatoes. You can also replace tomato puree with tomato paste for an even more concentrated taste.
Lemon Juice – For the best taste, squeeze the lemon juice freshly. You can also use lime juice, but keep in mind that lime is tangier than lemon, so you might need to use a little less.
Other Ingredients – You will need a few more basic ingredients like oil, ginger, garlic, Asian Red Chili Paste, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper powder.
My recipe makes a mildly spicy fish. You can adjust the quantity of red chili paste as per your heat preference.
How To Make Baked Spicy Basa
Preheat your oven to 360℉ (180℃).
While the oven is heating, prepare the fish. Rinse 14 oz (400 g) of boneless basa fillets and drain them well. We need as little water in the fillets as possible so that they bake perfectly instead of getting steamed.
Then arrange the fish fillets on a baking tray in a single layer and dab them with paper towels to remove any extra moisture. This step is essential to get perfectly baked fish.
Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper all over the fish and keep aside for 15 minutes.
Stir together the following ingredients in a bowl.
- 2 tablespoon 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 use lime juice)
Brush the marinade on both sides of the fish fillets.
Then keep the tray in the middle rack of the oven and close the oven door. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the fish is flaky.
Note – If you have a candy thermometer, check the cooked fish’s internal temperature; it should be 140-145℉ (60-65℃).
Take out the tray from the oven and garnish the baked fish with chopped parsley. Serve it fresh & hot with grilled vegetables or any salad of your choice. I use a fish spatula to cleanly transfer the cooked fillets from the baking tray to the serving plate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Marinate your fish fillets and wrap them individually in aluminum foil. Place the wrapped fillets on your preheated grill and grill them for 15-20 minutes. Flip them a few times in between while grilling. You can also use a stove-top grill pan to cook the marinated basa.
Yes, you can! Buy any white fish like haddock, catfish, cod, grouper, snapper, tilapia, etc, in place of basa.
Variations of this Recipe
I’ve used many different marinades at home to make variations of this recipe. I’m suggesting a few here:
Butter Paprika Marinade – To make, combine 1 tablespoon melted and cooled butter, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1 teaspoon dried basil.
Thyme & Garlic – Mix 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 1 teaspoon chopped garlic, and use it as the marinade.
Butter Lemon Marinade – Mix 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon coconut oil, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon lemon zest to make this version.
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Spicy Baked Basa Recipe
Ingredients
- 14 ounces boneless Basa fillets (400 g)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons 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℉ (180℃).
- 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.
- Mix 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 uncovered 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℉ (60-65℃).
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot with grilled vegetables or salad.
Super easy but very flavorful!
Had this for my dinner tonight with some brown rice and tenderstem broccoli. The marinade is really good, brings out the best in the fish. 25 mins in a 160 fan oven was enough to keep the fish moist and flaky, and completely cooked through (from fresh, not frozen). Would definitely recommend this!
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
Thank you so much, I would like to indroduce this recipe to more people !
I made this and it came out surprisingly well! Thanks for the recipe.
Happy to hear 🙂
Great recipe I based by first Basa dish on. I used lime juice, chiu chow chili oil and olive oil. Great barbecued. Thanks!
Happy to hear 🙂
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.
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.
Glad to know this 🙂
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
Happy to hear this 🙂
Hi:) Which red chili paste did you use?
I Sandra, I used my homemade paste. Here is the recipe https://www.whiskaffair.com/red-chili-paste/
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!!
Thnx for trying 🙂