Foil Baked Fish

The health benefits of fish are well known but preparing fish can be a hassle for many. Here is a simple technique for baking individual portions of fish in about 20 minutes and involves very little clean up. Foil baking is especially suited to frozen fish, which is easier to store and more cost effective if you want small portions or eating alone. Cod, tilapia, pollock or sole are good mild white fish you can buy in the frozen section of most supermarkets. There are anywhere from 2 - 4 fillets per pound, depending on the fish.

Never soak frozen fish in hot water. To thaw frozen fish, simply remove it from the package and holding one or several frozen fish fillets in your hand, run warm (but not hot) water over it until any ice falls off and the fillets can gently be unstuck from each other. At this point, it is ok to re-freeze any unwanted fish fillets. Continue to run warm water over the fish you want to cook until it becomes slightly pliable. Pat the fish dry with a clean towel or several paper towels. Now you are ready to bake your fish.

You will need:

a baking sheet or dish, preferably one with a small edge

25 -30 cm of aluminum foil

one or two frozen fish fillets

vegetable oil, olive oil or sesame oil

any combination of onion, garlic and or ginger

lemon or lime juice

salt, pepper

optional:

a small quantity of fresh herbs such as thyme or marjoram

dry prepackaged seasonings for fish, if desired

Technique:

Small amounts of olive or plain vegetable oil can be infused with fresh herbs, dark sesame oil, dry seasonings, garlic, ginger or onion for 5 minutes to create unique flavors that can enhance the mild flavor of white fish fillets.


Savory Foil Baked Cod
Preparation time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
1 frozen cod fillet, thawed
1 shallot or 1/2 of a finely chopped onion
1 1/2 Tbsp of oil
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme or rosemary
sea salt to taste
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed or sliced very thinly

Preparation:

Place the fish fillet on the foil lengthwise and salt. In a small bowl, mix onion, garlic, oil, fresh herbs and lemon pepper. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes. Brush onto fish fillet and close foil loosely.

Place fish on the baking pan in a 180 C or 350 F preheated oven for 20 minutes. Serve with rice or vermicelli noodles and a bit of margarine. Liquid from the fish will be savory and can be poured onto the rice as well.

Foil Baked Asia Pacific Tilapia
Preparation time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
2 frozen tilapia fillets, thawed
1 shallot or 1/2 of a finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp finely minced ginger
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed or sliced very thinly
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Place the fish fillets on separate pieces of foil lengthwise and salt. In a small bowl, mix garlic, oils, soy sauces and ginger. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes. Brush onto fish fillets and grind a bit of fresh pepper on, as desired. Close foil loosely.

Place foil fish packets on the baking pan in a 180 C or 350 F preheated oven for 20 minutes. Serve with rice topped with 2 tsp of dark sesame oil and soy sauce.

Foil Baked Lemon Sole or Hake
Preparation time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
1 - 2 frozen sole or hake fillets, thawed
1 shallot or 1/2 of a finely chopped onion
1 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil
2 tsp of lemon juice
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme or rosemary
sea salt to taste
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed or sliced very thinly

Preparation:

Place the fish fillets on separate pieces of foil lengthwise and salt. In a small bowl, mix onion, garlic, oil, and fresh herbs together. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes. Brush onto fish fillets and top each fillet with 1 tsp of lemon juice.

Place fish on the baking pan in a 180 C or 350 F preheated oven for 20 minutes. Serve with rice or vermicelli noodles and a bit of margarine.

After preparing fish in this manner several times, it will go faster and you might be inspired to experiment. Good luck!