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Fish Fillets With Chilli Sauce

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Now, I know fish dishes can be really tasty, but this Fish Fillets with Chilli Sauce dish is something else. It packs a punch! It's on a completely different level than fish & chips or fisherman's pie! You always hear chefs saying that a few simple ingredients are all it takes to make the best meal? Well, this is one excellent example of that. A simple marinade of lemon juice, oil, and coriander infuses the fish fillets with vibrant flavor... and, the chilli sauce is just as simple and quick to make, you will not believe such amazing tastes can be produced so easily.

I'm using quite an economical frozen white fish called Basa here, but, you could use any white fish you fancy, fresh or frozen. I've made this with Talapia in the past and it was just as good.

This time, as a special treat, I made Saffron & Cardamom Rice to go with it. Head over to my Saffron and Cardamom Rice Recipe while the fish is marinating, if you fancy trying that. It's well worth making :-)

Click the Method tab below to see a step-by-step guide on how to make Fish Fillets with Chilli Sauce along with some pictures to guide you.

fish-fillets-with-chilli-sauce-and-saffron-rice-01

ingredients

serves 2

Here's what you need :¬)

for the fish

  • 4 skinless fish fillets*
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp coriander - finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp veg' oil
  • 4 lime wedges - to squeeze over the cooked fish
  • 2 sprigs of coriander - to garnish

*I'm using Basa fillets, but you can use flat fish fillets such as Plaice or Sole as a more expensive alternative.

for the chilli sauce

  • 1 tsp ginger pulp
  • 2 Tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 & 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp coarse sea salt
  • 1 Tbsp chilli sauce (West Indian Hot Pepper Sauce)*
  • 1 Tbsp malt vinegar
  • 300ml water

*Just use one or two teaspoons of chilli sauce to reduce the heat to your own taste - we like it with a bit of a kick here at Nutty's Kitchen though! Which chilli sauce to use? I use West Indian Hot Pepper Sauce made with Scotch Bonnet chillies :-P

method

I'm using frozen Basa fillets for this recipe, as they're a lot cheaper than fresh Plaice or Sole fillets. So, if you want to use frozen too, just defrost them overnight in the fridge and pat them dry with kitchen paper before marinating them. If using fresh fish, pat them dry too before using.

The marinade is very simple and consits of just: lemon juice, fresh coriander and vegetable oil. Just mix them together, then tip over the fish and rub it all over the fillets. Leave in the fridge for at least one hour before cooking.

The chilli sauce is really easy to make, just mix all the ingredients together: ginger, tomato puree, sugar, salt, chilli sauce, malt vinegar and water, then bring to the boil and simmer until reduced to a thick soup-like consitency. You can make this in advance while the fish is marinating and then warm it up again when you are ready to cook the fish.

To cook the fish, I simply tip all the marinade into a large flat warm pan (frying pan will do) on medium heat, then cover the pan with foil to create a steam trap. This helps to keep the fish beautiful and moist. Whatever you do, don't over-cook the fish, it only take a few minutes! How long exactly depends on the thickness of the fillets. My Basa fillets took about six minutes on a gentle simmer. Note that there is no salt added to the fish — it doesn't need it, as the rice and chilli sauce are seasoned enough.

I serve this dish with Saffron & Cardamom Rice which you can also make while the fish is marinating: saffron and Cardamom Rice Recipe

First things first though, gather all the ingredients together in separate stock piles for the fish and the chilli sauce.

ingredients for fish fillets
ingredients for fish fillets

Defrost frozen fish overnight in the fridge.

Marinade the fish

  1. pat the fish dry & place in a bowl
  2. mix the lemon juice, oil & coriander together
  3. rub it all over the fish & place in the fridge for at least an hour...
fish fillets marinating
fish fillets marinating in a bowl

while that's doing its thing...

make the chilli sauce

ingredients for chilli sauce
ingredients for chilli sauce
  1. in a small pan, mix all the ingredients together: ginger, tomato puree, sugar, salt, chilli sauce, malt vinegar and water
  2. bring to a boil, then simmer on a medium heat until reduced (to about 1/4 of its' original volume) & thickened*
chilli sauce reducing
chilli sauce simmering in a pan

*keep stirring the chilli sauce while cooking to ensure the sea salt is totally disolved

chilli sauce reduced
chilli sauce reduced in a pan
  1. take off the heat, cover with a lid and set aside until needed

Taste the sauce when reduced and add a little more sugar if you want. It should taste really tangy with quite a bit of a chilli kick and a little bitter note that goes perfectly with well seasoned rice and the cooked fish infused with lemon and coriander.

cook the fish & make the dish!

  1. tip the marinade into a large warm flat pan
  2. on a med heat, add the fish and cover with foil
place fish & marinade in pan
fish fillets in a pan
cover with foil
foil covered pan
  1. simmer gently until the fish is just cooked - don't over cook it, it will only take a few minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. My Basa fillets took about 5- 6 mins
cooked fish fillets
fish fillets cooked in a pan
  1. meanwhile, re-heat the chilli sauce ready to serve
  2. warm some plates to serve the fish on
fish fillets with chilli sauce
fish fillets with chilli sauce & saffron rice

Serve with Saffron & Cardamom Rice or even just plain boiled Basmati rice for something simpler, just make sure the rice is well seasoned.

Saffron and Cardamom Rice Recipe