Oven Baked Basa Fillets With A Zesty Marinade....
Basa is a type of catfish native to the Mekong River Delta in Vietnam. It is becoming much more popular here in the UK and is available in most supermarkets. It’s a white fish with a firm, meaty texture and is sometimes used as a substitute for cod. What I love about basa is that it’s a very versatile fish and really easy to cook. Check out this great website for more inspiring basa recipes.
Another bonus I have discovered with basa – no bones! Or at least none that I have found and you know with fish – even the carefully filleted ones – there are always bound to be bones lurking somewhere. I do love fish but the bones really stress me out. A childhood incident where a fish bone became stuck in my throat resulted in me having to eat slice after slice of ‘wonderbread’ to help remove it. Wonderbread was never quite the same after that.
Ok no more trips down memory lane – let’s get on with the recipe!
Luna’s Recipe for Basa Fillets With A Zesty Marinade
Marinade:
Juice of 1/2 lemon.
1 clove of garlic, minced.
1 Tablespoon of freshly grated ginger.
1 Tablespoon of runny honey.
3 Tablespoons of light soy sauce.
Directions:
Put the basa fillets in a shallow dish and cover with the marinade.
Leave to marinate for 30 minutes to an hour. I turned the fillets over twice during the marinating process just to make sure everything was covered.
Preheat oven to 180C
When the fillets have marinated long enough place them on tin foil, spooning any remaining marinade on top.
Fold the tin foil around them like a parcel and place them on a baking sheet.
The directions on the pack said to cook the fillets for 20 minutes – I actually cooked them for a lot longer – 45 minutes!
Note to self: Before you start cooking make sure husband is actually on his way home and not stopping off at the pub for a quick pint after work!
Fortunately the extra time in the oven did not impair the flavour at all. In fact the fish was incredibly moist and very VERY tasty! I think the lemon juice probably helped.
I served the fillets with my favourite Egg Fried Rice courtesy of Ken Hom and some lightly steamed broccoli.
This was a filling dinner but it felt very light. It’s perfect for a warm Spring evening with a glass (or two) of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.
Oven Baked Basa Fillets in a Zesty Marinade.
Sorry about the quality of the photograph – I must get a new camera and stop taking photos on my phone!
