(Zero Oil) Fish Tikka

Fish is a staple in our home. DH being a Goan, and myself a Bengali, we both belong to communities that is not quite used to having fish skipped out of their meals on a regular basis. And in a way I would say even DD has managed to inherit our genetic traits so much so that if she gets to eat fish, she does not even bother about the rest of the dishes spread upon the table! I don’t even try to figure out why!!…cos I know “it’s in the genes”. 🙂

Fish Tikka is one of our family favorites. Primarily because it is fast and easy to prepare, hardly takes time, yet full of flavors. The best way to prepare tikkas is either on a grill or in the oven. The fish is soft, flaky and literally melts in the mouth.

A good tikka in oven is one of the healthiest Indian appetizers that can be prepared at home. You don’t even need to add any oil! This recipe does not make use of oil which makes this a go-to dish for the health conscious crowd. You get enough proteins from the fish, without worrying a bit about the fat-content. This always gives me a bigger reason to dig into it more often without a guilt!

These tikkas call for hung curd, wherein the water is completely drained out of the yogurt. If you do not have access to hung curd, you may also use Greek yogurt. It would give you almost similar results. Marinate the fish pieces for at least 7-8 hours. The soul of this dish is the marination. The longer you marinate the better it is.

Ingredients: 

Fish- any white fish fillet cut into medium sized pieces.

Garlic – 2 cloves

Ginger – 1 small piece

Hung curd / Greek yogurt – 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Red chilli powder/ paprika – 2 tsp

Kasoori method powder – 1 tsp

Fish curry powder – 2 tsp

Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

Black pepper flakes – 1 tsp

Lime juice – 1 tbsp

Salt – as per taste

Method: 

Grind a small piece of ginger and 2 cloves of garlic into a fine paste. Do not use too much garlic else the garlicky flavour might be too overwhelming.

Marinade the fish with all the ingredients, that is ginger-garlic paste, yogurt, salt, black pepper, lime juice and all the dry spices.

Keep it marinated for at least 7-8 hours or overnight. Get the fish out of the fridge at least 30 mins before popping it into the oven.

Arrange the marinated fish on thin skewers. Be careful not to leave any space between each of piece of fish. Layer the skewers on a tray lined with a parchment paper or aluminum foil. I am more comfortable with parchment papers while baking fish as then I am 100% sure that the fish won’t stick and hence will come out easily without breaking.

Preheat your oven to 200 degree Celsius and bake for around 10-12 mins or until the fish is just done. It might take upto 15 mins depending on what kind of fish you are using. Be careful not to overcook the fish. This will ensure that the fish has a soft flaky and melt-in-mouth texture.

Sprinkle some lime juice and chaat masala on top before serving. However this is optional. The fish by itself will be so delightful that you literally wouldn’t feel the need for anything else! Enjoy!

 

 

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