How to bake fish (2024)

Lean, white fish such as cod, haddock or plaice, does not contain as much fat within the flesh as oily types of fish such as salmon or herring. For this reason it is advisable to protect the flesh of lean fish so that it does not dry out during the cooking process.

This can be done using a variety of methods, so you can select your preference and cook accordingly.

To stop white fish from drying out, cook it by adding some liquid to the tray or in a sauce.

The liquid could be water, wine, butter, milk, lemon, lime or orange juice, oil or a little stock. Other ingredients can also be added to give extra flavour and aroma such as herbs, tomatoes, onions or chopped vegetables. Check out some of your favourite recipes first if you are unsure, as there you will find suitable combinations of ingredients.

Alternatively, the flesh can be protected by either stuffing the fish or by coating it in flour or breadcrumbs before baking.

Lots of people prefer to bake their fish by wrapping it in foil. This method is very efficient, as it cuts down on oven and utensil cleaning time.

By wrapping the fish in a protective covering, it has a similar effect to steaming, as moisture is sealed within the foil rather than escaping into the oven. This is an excellent way to ensure that your fish does not dry out and it also helps to seal in aroma and flavour.

Preheat the oven to around 400°F (200°C) and grease the base of a large piece of foil with butter. Take the piece of fish and season it with salt and pepper. Place the fish onto the foil, add some herbs and lemon juice, fold up the sides of the foil and seal at the top. Place into the preheated oven and cook for the specified time until the flesh is white and firm.

If baking a whole fish in foil, ensure that the fish is properly cleaned, scaled and gutted before wrapping it in foil. The head, tail and skin can be left intact and the body cavity can be stuffed with herbs and lemon or with a breadcrumb mixture. Cooking a whole fish in foil will take much longer, perhaps around 40 - 50 minutes. Calculate 15 minutes per half kilo of fish plus an additional 15 minutes. Once the fish is done, remove it from the oven and foil and skin before serving.

Oily fish such as trout or lean fish that is stuffed or coated can be baked in the oven on a baking tray. Even lean types of fish on their own can be baked, although the flesh will tend to be a bit drier. Generally, whole fish are baked using this method.

To bake a whole fish, clean, scale and gut as above. If your fishmonger has not already done this for you, see our page on preparing fish for cooking, for detailed instructions on how to do this.

Baking a whole flat fish is just as simple, although if stuffing is required a certain amount of skill is needed.

As there is no body cavity as such with a flat fish, you will have to make your own.

This can be done, by taking a sharp knife and cutting through the flesh all the way down the backbone. The flesh is then loosened away from the bone with the knife and a cavity is thus created.

Fill the cavity with a little stuffing in a loose fashion as above, dot with butter and bake in the oven until done.

A typical stuffing for fish would include around 2 oz of fresh breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, some chopped herbs such as parsley, chopped bacon, a little beaten egg and some milk.

These ingredients would be mixed together until a paste is formed and then used to stuff the fish.

Cooked stuffing is also popular where butter is melted, adding chopped onions and celery. After a few minutes of frying, this mixture is added to chopped herbs, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and mixed together.

Even with just using the baking method alone, there is a possibility of hundreds of delicious recipes to try.

Why not try our baked fish recipes below and see if any of them appeal to you and your family?