Thanks to cooking school, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and work with whole fish…something I’m not very fond of doing. However to my surprise, this crispy baked scent leaf and lemon tilapia dish came out better than I expected.I enjoyed it so much that I made it again and it was much better than my first attempt because I let the fish marinate in the fridge for a day.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Recipe for Crispy Baked Scent Leaf and Lemon Tilapia
Ingredients
1 large whole fresh tilapia (cleaned and gutted)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
I handful fresh scent leaves/basil leaves (6-8 leaves )
1 hot pepper e.g. atatodo/scotch bonnet 1 garlic clove
A chunk of ginger
1 seasoning cube
Directions
1. Pat cleaned fish dry with paper towel and set aside in a large bowl
2. In a blender, combine scent leaves, onions, ginger, garlic, pepper, lemon juice, soy sauce, oil, and seasoning cube and blend.
3. Using a sharp knife, on a bias cut 2-3 lines on the top part of the fish.Do not cut too deep, cut just enough to allow the marinade seep into the flesh.
4. Marinate the fish in the sauce blend and put it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
5.Remove from the fridge and add some more scent leaves and sliced bell peppers.
6. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.
7. Open the foil paper and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes or until the fish is crispy.
Note
For the marinade Ingredient quantities can be modified to your taste.Please taste your marinade before adding to the fish
You can use this marinade with other fish e.g. croaker, mackarel, snapper etc.
If you want the marinade to really penetrate the fish, then you can let the fish rest in the fridge for as long as 24hours.
Recipe from Uneku Haruna of Kauna Kitchen
